The Crap I Put Up With
by Klinge
Summary: What would you do if you were going about your day and 'BAM', you're in the Naruto universe with OTT powers? The crap I put up with. Self Insert who is kinda OP.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

_'Thinking'_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, TV-shows or games.

* * *

I was sitting in my computer room, browsing a thread on 4chan just to pass the time between working and sleeping when my father called my name.

"Blade!" He shouted upstairs.

"What?" I replied, - the usual short exchange between us. I heard an answer but as usual, he shouted just too quietly for me to hear.

"What?" I said again, opening the door and stepping through so I could hear him.

"Go take the stuff your sister left here yesterday back to hers!"

"Right Now?"

"Yes right now."

"Goddammit, why don't you take it?" I grumbled under my breath as I walked downstairs to grab the chair and umbrella left here from Christmas dinner.

I live in a three bedroom semi-detached house that manages to be quite small considering the space inside. I live with my younger brother and father in a town that I only found out was classed as rural when I saw it on the news. I thought it was an urban town but I guess I was wrong. I reckon the farmers and fields scattered around the outskirts of the town should have been an indication.

I walked back upstairs as I'd forgotten my phone and wallet. Even though I probably wouldn't need them, I make it a habit of always having them on me. Chucking on my new leather jacket that my younger brother got me for Christmas, I say 'he' got me it, he only picked it as my father bought it - I doubt my brother could afford to buy a £125 Leather Jacket for a present. He's only 12 after all. In the end, I was wearing my leather jacket, white t-shirt, sand coloured infantry cargo trousers and my walking boots. I prefer comfort over looks but it doesn't mean I'm going to walk around in a gimp outfit even if it was the most comfortable thing on Earth. Picking up the brolly and chair, I walked to the door. "Going now are you?" My father asked.

_'Jesus fuckin' Christ of course I'm going now. You just told me to go now what the fuck do you expect me to do?'_ Is what I thought in my head. What I said however was -

"Yeah, be back in a minute." My sister only lived about 100 meters down the road anyway.

* * *

_'Bloody hell it's cold'_ I thought as practically gale force winds blew - as usual - in the opposite direction I was going, seemingly to spite me. Not only was it windy, it was late and the middle of winter. Walking down the road, I was contemplating what I'd do once I got home already,

_'Should I watch more videos on Youtube?'_

_'Probably shouldn't, that goddamn Sonic X Theme tune is still playing in my head. Gotta go fast indeed.'_

It only took about a minute and a half to reach my sister's house even with the Wind Gods attempting to thwart my every move as usual. Knocking on the door, I waited for an answer. I heard a few steps and my nephew unlocked and opened the door.

"What are you doing here Blade?"

"I'm dropping off the crap your mom left at my house yesterday"

His dog suddenly ran downstairs and out the door almost knocking me arse over tit. "Watch it Lexi" I gently chided.

My nephew - Dennis, took the items from me and put them in his kitchen. Lexi suddenly appeared behind me dropping a ball from her mouth and sat patiently for me to throw it._ 'I really wish I knew how to train my dog as well as this'_. I quickly threw the ball straight up into the air and as it reached it's apex, I looked down to see Lexi on her hind legs watching it and caught it in her mouth._ 'This is ridiculous, my dog couldn't catch a ball if I gave him 48 hours written notice and 5 tries.'_

As the dog gave me the ball again I talked to my nephew while absentmindedly throwing the ball every so often.

"So Dennis, did you watch Bear's Wild Weekend with Stephen Fry on it yesterday?"

"Naah, I don't really watch much TV, I'm going to watch Harry Potter on the TV later though"

"You missed the good stuff. It was funny as hell. I would watch Harry Potter but I probably need to re-watch the first 5 again to remember what happened and I can't be arsed. Also I downloaded Left 4 Dead 2 for free yesterday"

"Was that on Xbox?"

"No it was on the PC, bloody Steam was down almost all the time, it took me ages to get it because the servers kept going down."

"I was gonna say, if it was on Xbox, I would have got that straight away. That reminds me, one second." He ran upstairs.

I turned around while I waited for him and saw Lexi at the bottom of the garden, looking at the gate. 'What the hell is she doing?' I walked over to the gate and found out I'd thrown the ball too far and it landed on the road. Luckily it was a minor road so next to nobody drove there. Picking up the ball I walked back to the house when Dennis came back down saying "I couldn't find it but I forgot to give you back your Command and Conquer game"

_'It's been fucking ages since I lent that to him, at least half a year' _"You might as well keep it, I probably wont play it again anyway, I prefer Red Alert 2 over the new Tiberium Wars games."

"I've completed it anyway now so you might as well have it back. I'll drop it off tomorrow."

I motioned Lexi inside with my head and after we walked in I made my leave.

"Alright then. I'll see you later, I'm gonna leave before I freeze my nuts off"

"See ya"

* * *

Once I exited the gate, I realized I needed to pay my dad rent. _'I should probably go and grab some money out of the ATM down at Morrisons. Well at least it's only 5 minutes down the road. Perks of living in a small town I guess'_. After grabbing the money, I walked back home. For some reason I was feeling uneasy, the sort of feeling that's a cross between paranoia and actually being watched. When I was reached the bottom of my driveway, I suddenly felt weak in the knees and had a sudden urge to throw up. Slowly turning around, I gaped at what looked like a black hole or some sort of vortex. The instant I noticed it, it started moving towards me and I felt a pull towards it.

_'What the fuck is this thing?! I've gotta get out of here, I really doubt that it's anything good. I can't go inside since I'll probably just endanger my family.'_

_'Fuck it'_ I thought _'I'm just gonna run as hard as I can in the opposite goddamn direction.' _In that instant, I started putting foot to ground at a fucking rapid pace and sprinted back the way I came. Now I'm not unfit by any standards but while I can run fast, I can't run for really long. Especially when I'm going full pelt down the fucking road due to a fucking vortex chasing my ass. I looked back and all I saw was the vortex about 5 meters away from me moving just slightly faster than I was and speeding up. All that was running through my mind was _'SHITFUCKWANKARSETITSBOLLOCKSSLUTSLAGFUCKFUCKSHITSHITWANKWANKSHITFUCKFUCKFUCKSHITSHITFUCKFUCK' _etc. I wasn't exactly thinking straight at that point in time. I'd already been tearing down the road for almost 2 minutes and I was practically dead on my feet with pure adrenaline powering me. I reached a pole and since i wasn't able to outrun it, I might as well try to try to keep myself tethered by pure willpower. Unfortunately I wasn't able to keep this up and the vortex started pulling me in. _'Well. That's that then I guess.'_ Since I wasn't able to hold on due to extreme force on me, I decided to just resign myself to my fate just jumped backwards into it so I'd go quickly instead of slowly. It was an odd feeling, being sucked into that black hole of sorts, it's kind of like when you put on a really heavy bag but instead of being pulled downwards and only on my back, it was full body and backwards. Weirdly as a whole but unsurprisingly for my, my last thought was _'Shit happens I guess. At least I'll find out what happens after death before anyone else I know. Winning again' _

After that, all there was was black as I faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

_**Author's note: Right, everyone who's reading this, I hope it hasn't been too bad to read. I based most of this from what I actually did yesterday, except the whole vortex of death thing. If you have time, could you review it and give some honest feedback please? I've never written a proper story before so I need to know how well I'm doing.**_

_**Not sure how long it will be till the next chapter. I could get on to it today or in a week. I'm not very good with schedules like that. Also, I'll try to make the chapters longer, This one was just short since it's a prologue to the main story but I did better than I thought I would.  
**_

_**Next chapter I will have been transported somewhere different from home and have been changed in ways I could actually probably imagine. **_


	2. Different shit, Different day

_Chapter 1 - Different Shit, Different Day_

_'Thinking'_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, TV-shows or games.

* * *

_'Ugh. Damn my head- doesn't hurt? Well that's something I guess.'_ I sat up slowly and tried to get my bearings._ 'Now why is it so dark? I'm not blind am I? That'd suck major balls. Gotta try and find out where I am' _Suddenly, Everything burst into light, except it was blue? _'What the hell is going on? I can't see any lights in here so how the hell can I see?' _All I could see was what seemed to be a blue room - I couldn't be sure as everything looked blue, it was about 5 meters by 5 meters so I had a little space and now that I take a proper look around, there seems to be what looks like surgical tools resting on a table next to me. I looked down and found I was sitting on a bed reminiscent of one of those beds that you actually have surgery on. _'I swear to god if I've been abducted by aliens and probed or some shit, I'm just gonna quit the game of life right now'_

"That won't be necessary" A voice seemingly coming from one of the walls said to me.

"What won't be?" I growled back with a surprising amount of confidence. I didn't feel any fear at all. Probably had something to do with the scalpel I just palmed.

"Quitting that 'game of life' you were thinking about"

"I would ask how you knew what I was thinking but the last thing I remember was being sucked into a vortex that chased my ass down so I'll keep an open mind." I was always pretty unflappable anyway.

Getting up, and trying to pinpoint the voice, I asked the first question that I thought needed answering at the moment, "Would you be so kind as to inform me where my clothes are?" I believe I was polite and courteous to them, it might make the feel bad at letting a poor man wake up completely naked on what seemed to be a surgery table.

"Ah, yes. My apologies, I guess you would still want your clothes even after the operation."

"Operation? Well now you're gonna have to tell me, what the hell have you done to me!" I found where the voice was coming from - the wall, somehow - and tried to figure out what to do next. At the moment, my best plan was just to wait and see what is going on. It could be interesting.

"Just a not so simple operation including many things and stuff, yadda yadda"

"Who the hell are you, Rick Grimes?

"To put it simply, on a whim, I have decided to 'abduct' you and make some very interesting modifications to you. I decided to choose the ones you chose not too long ago"

"Well I don't seem any different, so what have you done to me?"

"Haven't you noticed? There are no lights in that room. You are seeing in the dark!"

"Yeah, and I'm a monkeys uncle. Don't be a twat mate"

"I know it doesn't seem like much but there are many other modifications I have made to you. For example, that scalpel you're holding," I looked down in surprise _'How did he know?'_ I chuckled _'It was probably that fucking mind reading shit again'_

"Yes it was, now if you don't mind, crush it"

"Crush it?

"Crush it."

"Okaaaayyyy?" I looked at the scalpel in my hand, noticed I was still completely naked and shouted "For fucks sake, am I going to get my gear back or not?"

"Oh, sorry about that. Here you go." A wall panel next to where the voice seemed to be coming from span with a barely audible hiss, 180 degrees and when it stopped, I saw the same clothes I was wearing before I blacked out hanging up. _'It could have been worse i guess, at least it wasn't one of those bloody hospital gowns' _After I got dressed I heard another hiss and saw 4 bulbs appear in the upper corners of the room.

"I thought I'd try and prove to you that your night vision is real." And with that, the lights turned on and I was temporarily blinded when i felt my eyes shift a little and everything came into focus. The walls were actually pure white, _'How cliché', _It seemed he may have been telling the truth with the night vision but what I couldn't understand was how it was possible. So, I decided it necessary to ask.

"Now I really need you to tell me what you did"

"First take another look at that scalpel."

When I looked down once more at the scalpel, now fully dressed, I noticed with surprise that where I was gripping the scalpel, it had been squashed and molded to the contours of my hand. _'It would take incredible strength to be able to do this'_

"Yes, and that is exactly what you have. I guess I will explain it to you now. There is some I will keep from you for now that you will learn later. You have been been modified in several key ways by a very long winded operation. It took ages I tell you! For now I will tell you that you have been through a very intense procedure that has made you better in almost every way. Think of the Billion dollar man except you were perfectly healthy beforehand. With these changes, firstly you have an incredibly dense skeleton made of a special metal," _'I bet it's adamantium' _"It's not adamantium Blade, you don't need to know what it is, just that it is incredibly hard to break. Secondly, your strength and speed have been augmented, you can run maybe 5 times faster than normal, also about 20 times stronger and your endurance is 30 times better than an Olympic athlete. If you somehow manage to run yourself into complete exhaustion, it will take you about 12 hours complete rest to reach full capacity again. Your eyes were kinda annoying to modify so I just decided to replace them."

"You what?! No, you know what, carry on, I'll reserve judgement for once you've finished."

"Thank you, please don't interrupt me again" For some reason, even though he said it politely, I could feel the malice behind it. I decided to keep schtum until he finished.

"Alright, back to 'your' eyes, the eyes currently implanted in your head have four modes, regular vision, night vision, infrared vision and magnification up to 20x. I modified your brain to become a more efficient organic computer, at one point I got annoyed and wanted to replace that as well but that'd be a bit silly wouldn't it? That is also how I am able to read your thoughts, you are wirelessly connected to my computer here and although it would be possible for me to control you, I will not do so. All in all, I am quite proud of my work."

"Is that all the changes you've made?" I was split between fear that this strange person abducted me and 'modified' me, and a sort of glee in that I am better in every way, as he said. Part of me was hoping he had done more.

"That's all I'm going to tell you now. There are several more changes that will not manifest within you for a while but believe me, they are many times more impressive than the current changes I have made. When I chuck you through the vortex again I'll leave you a pamphlet."

"May I ask why you have done this to me?"

"Just read the pamphlet I'll give you, some of your questions will be answered there" I noticed how he said 'some', not 'all'. I guess it'll be a while before I get all the answers.

"Well where am I going then?" I decided to humor him as I didn't really have much choice at the moment and my generally apathetic nature just decided to roll with it.

As he ignored my question, the vortex opened up behind me and started to pull me in. _'Couldn't he just make a fucking door?'_

"Yes but it's more fun this way."

As I was being pulled into the vortex again, I heard a parting comment,

"Oh I also messed about with your looks, seeya"

"WHAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT THHHEEEEE FFFUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKK" I screamed at him before once again blacking out, my last vision being of a spiraling room and a pamphlet hitting me in my face.

* * *

_**Author's note: Well that's my second chapter done, or first if you don't include the prologue. I know this one was slightly shorter than the last one but I'd rather have this part in one chapter and start in the Naruto universe at the start of a new chapter. Also, don't expect new chapters to come out every day as I have a job you know and need to spend valuable time procrastinating.  
**_

_**Don't forget to review. If you didn't forget and just decided not to, that's fine too. If you do review, tell me what you think I should put in to give me some ideas and help properly shape the story. I doubt I'm good enough at this to make it a great story at my level.  
**_

_**Also, if you're wondering about he might not want the clothes, that may be explained in the pamphlet.**_


	3. A Whole old World

_Chapter 2 - A Whole old World_

_'Thinking'_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, TV-shows or games.

* * *

In the middle of nowhere

_'That was the weirdest dream I've had in a while and I've had some weird dreams'_

I woke up to my mobile alarm ringing while laying down on some bumpy hard surface._ 'Bollocks, I'm going to be late for work. Wait a minute, this isn't my bed' _I sat up, turned the alarm off and tried to find out where I was. It was dark, but I could tell from the silhouettes of trees, the smells and the sounds of birds chirping up my ass that I was obviously not at home, in bed where I should be. I was in a forest. It wasn't even winter anymore. _'What the actual fuck. I must have been missing for at least two and a half months. It must have been a dream because if it wasn't my night vi-' _As if I'd said a magic spell, my night vision activated. _'Oh for fucks sake. I'm gonna need to call home to tell everyone where I am. Wherever I am' _

Taking my phone out of my pocket, I unlocked it and unsurprisingly - no bars. _'I'm in the middle of the woods, what did you expect. Wait a minute, it says it's the 27th of January on my phone. That's impossible. It shouldn't be this warm at half five in the morning if it was the middle of winter. It's quite obviously early summer at least. Did the fucker mess with my phone as well' _

_'Fuck it, since I have no idea where I am, what day it is and why the hell I am in the middle of the forest other that that crazy dude put me here, I'm going to sleep. I'll wake up at daybreak."_

* * *

Waking up once more, at daybreak, I stood up, dusted myself off and tried to get my bearings. _'These trees are huge, no branches at the bottom so I doubt I'll be able to climb them.'  
_

_'I should probably check that pamphlet he chucked in my face before sending me here.' _Going back to where I woke up, I scrounged about for a short while when I spotted it under some soil. _'Might as well get reading.' _Reading the front, it said, 'Congratulations!' There was an image of a guy doing the thumbs up pose on the front 'You are now the proud owner of a new and improved you!' _'If this was animated, I'd assume it was an advert for one of those plasmids.' _Opening the pamphlet, there was that picture of a human body where you see all the muscles with informational pointers directed at it. From the top to bottom it read -

'Eyes - Your new eyes are the dandiest piece of equipment I have to offer. With four whole settings - Regular sight, Night Vision, Infrared Vision and up to 20x Magnification, you will be able to see even in the darkest of environments, but I still doubt you'll be able to see why kids love the taste of cinnamon toast crunch! As an added bonus, we have installed a pair of those nifty sunglasses from that game where the main character is all - 'I never asked for this' - What a winger. This eye wear is sure to keep any dust out of your eyes, the sun as well of course! '_Very upbeat, this pamphlet is.'_

'Ears - I have upgraded your ears to be able to take much more pressure and have also increased the sensitivity of them so you can hear all the dirty little secrets you want! Watch out for those dog whistles though, they'll give you a nasty headache!'

'Skeletal Structure - Your skeletal structure has been completely replaced as I couldn't be bothered to try and bond metals to your bones, besides, these new bones are made of a special alloy that is several times stronger than regular bones while still being just as light! With your new bones, it will take much more physical trauma before breaking and will take a hell of a lot more force to dismember you. Limbs aren't easy to grow back you know!'

'Muscles - Your new muscles have been modified to be much more dense and efficient than your old ones. With your new muscles, you are faster, stronger and simply better than before. Your brain has also been upgraded to become a more efficient biological computer so you will be smarter and able to compartmentalize memories. You will be able to run up to 5 times faster than before, lift weights up to 20 times heavier than before and your endurance is 30 times better than an Olympic athlete. Watch out though, If you manage to run yourself into the ground, it will take up to 12 hours of rest and plenty of nutrition to be back up to snuff!' Your body fat is under 5% and you will burn calories faster due to the enhanced muscles. Luckily, the next improvement will help with that!

'Inner Organs - These have been upgraded to become tougher and more efficient than before. Your lungs process oxygen better, your heart is stronger and can take much more without giving out, you are able to process foods better so you will get all the good stuff and none of the nasty stuff! Luckily for you, I upgraded your liver too! That means that not only can you drink plenty of alcohol before hitting the floor wasted, you won't even have a hangover in the morning!'

'All other abilities are currently locked and only upon their emergence will they be explained in this pamphlet. Every time you unlock a new ability, I'll give you a ping in your brain! Listen well!'

_'Well that is interesting.'_

'I hope you haven't forgotten I messed with your face! Seeya!'

_'Fucks sake I gotta find a reflection, he's probably given me an arse on my face or something'  
_

I decided to put that aside for now and instead start prioritising -

1. Find out where exactly I am.

2. Find out when I am.

3. Find out what the little cunt did to my face.

4. Find something to eat.

5. Find a way home.

_'I am pretty hungry but that can wait'_

_'Come to think of it, with enhanced muscles and bones, I may be able to climb this tree pretty easily'_

I walked up to the nearest tree and placed my right hand on it. I gripped tightly to try and create a handhold but it just crumbled.

_'I guess I really need to test my own strength sometime. Let's try a different approach'_

This time I curled my fingers into a claw shape, rested the fingertips against the wood and, tensing, shoved them into the tree. There was a fair bit of resistance but my strength was enough to go through. Once I had a good handhold, I raised my left hand above me, followed the same actions and created another handhold. Shifting my weight onto my left hand, I gently removed my right hand and repeated the process. It was hard going, I slipped a couple of times from gripping the tree too hard and breaking my hand hold but I stayed on. Once I reached to lowest branch, I swung myself onto it and took a small breather. Looking above me, there were many branches so I decided to put my already good but now excellent climbing skills to use and scaled to rest of the tree up to the top.

_'Well I'm definitely not anywhere near home anymore. There aren't any woodlands like this near where I live'_

I saw a clearing in the distance, about 5 miles away to the south there was a cliff drop there which I should be able to see more from. I made sure to remember which direction to go in and descended the tree by hugging it and sliding down.

After dusting myself off once again, I set off at what felt like a normal jog yet I seemed to be going about 20 miles per hour. _'I'm pretty sure that's the new muscles at work. Running like this isn't even taking it out of me'_

15 Minutes later entered the clearing and neared the cliff drop. There were odd protrusions on the front of it which I couldn't full see. As I neared the edge, I started to feel like I must be dreaming again. The first thing I saw was a familiar giant circular wall with a massive gate at the opposite end from me. Looking down, I saw a familiar academy and a stadium. It was a village. Not just any village, but the Hidden Leaf Village. Konoha. I was in the Naruto Universe. I had a sudden urge to smack my head repeatedly against the Third's head I was obviously standing on. '_This shouldn't be possible. Naruto is just a story. Well whatever, go with the flow as they say'._ I decided to make a new list of priorities -

1. Find out when I am

2. Find something to eat

3. Take a piss

Luckily I could do one of those right now so after I was done relieving myself on a tree, I set off down the Hokage Mountain and into The village to get some information.

Little did I know, as soon as I stepped into the clearing, I was being watched.

* * *

Konoha

I found myself sitting in front of the Hokage Mansion wondering how I'm going to get any information when I don't even speak Japanese.

'BEEP' "What the fuck!" I jumped up in surprise. _'Fucking hell, that was probably the bloody pamphlet deciding to scare the shit outta me with some new info'_

Pulling the pamphlet out of my pocket again, I noticed new information had appeared next to the ears. It read 'Congratulations! You have unlocked your first new ability! Due to a modified connection between your ear and brain, things you hear and perceive are altered so you can now understand others as if they were speaking English! For added convenience, when you speak, you will automatically form Japanese words instead of English.'

_'That is convenient. Now how am I gonna get something to eat with no money. I reckon Ichiraku's is a nice enough place, they might let me run a tab.'_

I walked into the closest building to me which happened to be _'very conveniently' _a library. While I wouldn't be able to take anything out, I could get a hold of a map in there. I approached the desk and waited patiently for the receptionist to finish filing papers. Once she finished, I called to her, "Excuse me miss, would you be able to tell me where I can find a map of Konoha? It's my first time here and I'm kinda lost."

"Of course, they are all just over there in the back."

"Thank you"

I picked up a map and searched for Ichiraku's Ramen Stand on it, it took me a few seconds to find it but as it turned out, it wasn't too far from here, just down the road.

After memorizing the map, I placed it back on the shelf, thanked the receptionist again and started walking.

On my way down, as I smelled the fresh air with a tinge of woodsmoke, I went into a world of my own. _'My god it's peaceful. I can't forget though that this is a militaristic village with the strong warriors ruling at the top. Even with a council, it is mostly comprised of the heads of the shinobi clans. The civilian council should not be underestimated in their influence on decisions. On another note, now that I think about it, the way my body has been upgraded is a little like that guy from the newest terminator movie.'_

While absorbed in my own thoughts, I almost walked past the ramen stand. As I walked through the blinds and looked at Teuchi and Ayame cooking, I promptly turned around and left. _'If I'm gonna run a tab, I need a new name. While I like Blade, it doesn't fit with this world. I have to create an alias' _After deliberating on a new Japanese name for a few minutes I decided on a name I believe to be alright. I walked back into Ichiraku's and greeted the chef.

"Hi, hows it going?"

"It's going alright, how about you?"

"Not too bad, tell me, are you the best Ramen Shop in all of Fire Country like my friend told me?"

"I hope so or I'm wasting my time!"

I chuckled, "Well I don't suppose you run tabs here do you?"

"Sure we do, what's your name?"

"It's Hiruma Shin"

"Hello Hiruma-san, my name is Teuchi and this is my beautiful daughter Ayame. Now, what would you like?"

"I'll have a miso ramen I guess and don't bother with the honorifics, just call me Shin, or Hiruma if you like."

"Sure, one miso ramen, coming right up Shin"

As I waited for my food, I felt a little weird being in Ichiraku's without Naruto stuffing his face with ten bowls of ramen. I wonder where he is right now.

"Here you go Shin. One miso ramen"

"Thanks Teuchi"

As I started eating what actually probably was the best ramen in the whole of Fire Country, I felt the air shift behind me and heard a voice say, "Himura-san, you are requested to meet with the Hokage as soon as possible"

I didn't bother looking behind me as I said "If you heard my name, didn't you hear I don't like honorifics? Alright, let me finish this and I'll come with you."

As the man who was quite obviously an ANBU - I didn't need to turn around to figure that out - waited patiently, I realized it's quite unnerving to eat with an elite assassin breathing down your neck. After managing to finish it regardless, I thanked them for the food and told the ANBU to lead the way.

"So, ANBU-san, _'I may not like honorifics but I'll use them if it'll help'_ may I ask why I am meeting with the Hokage?"

"Yes you may"

_'Is he messing with me?' _"So why then?"

"I am not permitted to disclose that information at this time."

_'Fuck you arsehole, he is messing with me. I bet he's laughing his ass off behind that mask of his. Fuck it I'll just walk in silence'_

The ANBU had black hair in a ponytail and the customary tattoo.

_'Wait, black ponytail, dry sense of humour and did I see the 'Weasel' mask just then? That's gotta be Itachi! If he's here then the Uchiha massacre hasn't happened yet. From that I can deduce that Naruto cannot be more than seven as the massacre happened when Sasuke was seven and they are the same age. That means neither of them have started the academy either.'_

* * *

Itachi walked me through reception and up to the famous oval - or semi-circular as the case may be - office. He rapped three times on the door and waited patiently to be called in. After a few moments, I heard a voice calling for us to enter.

"I have brought Hiruma-san as requested Hokage-sama"

"Thank you Weasel-san"

I gazed upon the wizened old face of one of the most powerful ninja in this world. It was quite humbling. He radiated an aura of calm with a ferocity simmering behind it, ready to flare up into a fierce blaze when the time called for it.

"Himura-san right?

"Yes Hokage-sama"

"Do you know why I called you to see me today?"

"I am not aware of the reasons. I asked Weasel-san here but apparently he was, and I quote 'Not permitted to disclose that information at this time.'

The Hokage chuckled, "Yes, I apologize but I wanted to hear the truth about some things and the truth is least concealed when asked abruptly. Weasel-san, inform Himura-san why he is here today."

"Yes Hokage-sama. Himura-san you have been summoned to the Hokage's office for a meeting to discern why it is you believed it necessary to enter Konoha without going through the proper channels - arriving at the main gate, stating you name and business and signing in."

"Himura-san, usually such an act would be solved with you being taken to the front gate to follow proper procedures and given a warning. The reason you have been brought to me is because you are quite unusual. When you arrived at the top of Hokage Mountain, you were observed by an ANBU operative and they found out a few interesting things. First and foremost being the fact that not only do you not have Chakra, you have no Chakra coils at all. Chakra is something that I'm sure you know exists in all living things and all creatures would die without it. When observing you they also found out that you have a super dense bone structure that would not be found in most of even the top class shinobi. Would you care to explain this?"

His gaze was piercing. It looked right through me. I had to play this one right or I'd be carted off to Mr. Ibiki and his happy happy interrogator time.

"Before I say anything, may I ask that you keep this a secret? I don't want any of this getting out."

"Of course, Weasel-san here will keep the secret as well."

"Thank you Hokage-sama. The lack of Chakra and coils is something I was born with. I am able to survive even without it although I would not be able to mold and use ninja techniques. The super dense bones are something that was recently done to me as well as enhancing my muscles in a very complicated and long winded procedure by an unknown party for an unknown reason. I was completely unconscious from abduction to the end of the operation and after I woke up, he left me in the forest to the north of Hokage Mountain. I made a list of priorities when I woke up, find out what the date is, find out what he did to my face - I don't know if he was messing with me or not but I want to find out, and finally get something to eat. I have only just eaten when Weasel-san informed me that you wished to see me and now here I am."

"Well , that is a story. At least I can help you with your other two objectives. Weasel-san, grab Himura-san here a mirror."

"Yes Hokage-sama." He disappeared for a few seconds, "Here you go" '_Damn he's fast'_

As I looked at what he did to my face, one thought ran through my mind, _'Well, that isn't what I expected.'_ I was actually better looking than I used to be. I looked like Adam Jensen would look without the facial hair or scars. Also without the awesome as fuck augmentations too. _'I probably should have asked for those. At least I had those 'nifty sunglasses' he wears stuck to my face. It would help if I needed protection in a jiffy.'__  
_

"The date today is the 29th of May. Now that's everything you needed am I correct?"

"Not quite Hokage-sama. Now while I know that I may leave whenever I wish as I am not being held, I am a sensible person and would like to make a deal. If you are able to find me a job, preferably manual labour, and a place to stay, I would be willing to subject myself to some tests. Blood, Chakra and Physical. This would help you see how I am able to survive without Chakra, and it would help me see just how much I have been enhanced. Is that satisfactory?"

"I see you are a reasonable man Himura-san. Alright, I will find you a job working with your strengths, and I think I already have somewhere in mind for you to stay. Weasel-san will take you there in a moment."

"Thank you Hokage-sama, one last thing, I would like to become a ninja. Although I am unable to use Chakra, I believe that my other abilities will help me. what do you think?"

"We'll talk about it once we have the results from the tests. The Blood and Chakra tests will be conducted tomorrow and the Physical tests the day after. I will send Weasel-san to escort you to each of the test centers."

"Thank you Hokage-sama. If that is all, I bid you farewell."

"Farewell Himura-san. Wait outside for Weasel-san"

I bowed politely, stepped backwards, turned around and walked through the doors. After closing the doors, I let out a brief sigh of relief. _'That went well. Better than a kick in the teeth anyway. I managed to secure a short term job, a place to stay and a chance to become a ninja in one go. This world will be very interesting."_

_'While I wait I might as well listen in the what old Hiruzen-san has in store for me'_

I focused my hearing through the closed door and started listening.

"-Himura-san to stay at this place. It will be good for him."

"Are you sure that is wise Hokage-sama? The man may be an enemy spy for all we know. After all, his background was a little flaky."

"Weasel-san. When I looked into his eyes, I saw nothing but honesty. His qualities will help bring out the best in people. I believe that in time, he may become a great asset to Konoha and an even greater ninja. I'm not called the 'God of Shinobi' for nothing you know" Hiruzen chided. "Go and take him to his new home and inform the landlord that he is a new citizen and hasn't secured a job yet. I shall pay for his rent for the first week and once he's on his feet, he's on his own.'

"As you wish, Hokage-sama"

_'It's not gonna be this easy is it?'_

I quickly straightened up as Itachi walked though the doors and asked him what we will do now.

"I shall take you down to your new home to get settled in. The Hokage has give you a small grant of money to be paid back whenever possible, to be used for food and clothing. The Hokage has generously offered to pay your first week of rent but from then on, you are on your own."

"Thank you Weasel-san"

* * *

Once we reached the building, I commented, "It's not much of a looker is it?"

"It is sufficient, Himura-san. I will talk to the landlord about your situation. Get settled in and the rest of the day is yours. I will see you again tomorrow when I pick you up for the tests. Unless I am escorting you to and from any destinations, you may roam the village."

"Thank you Weasel-san."

Once we parted ways, I walked up to my room, looked at the room next to me and thought, _'It is gonna be that easy'._

Naruto lived next door.

* * *

_**Author's note: This was a bastard to write. I got about 4/5ths into it when I lost all of it. I almost gave up ****but I will persevered. The story title is quite apt at the moment.**_

_******My self will meet Naruto next chapter.**_

_******Don't forget to review. Don't expect a new chapter every few hours either.**_


	4. Practice makes Perfect

_Chapter 3 - Practice makes Perfect_

_'Thinking'_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, books, TV-shows or games.

* * *

Home

After spending the rest of the day lounging about my new little home, having a snooze, I decided to go out and see the nightlife.

_'It may only be two rooms, including the bathroom, but at least that means any cleaning I need to do won't take long. I've sat about for long enough, it's almost dark. I might as well see what the nightlife is like.'_

Walking out the door, still dressed in my old clothes, I thought to myself that I probably should have bought some new gear instead of procrastinating. _'I think I'll have to stop procrastinating. I'll start tomorrow.'_ "Heh"_ 'It's a nice night though, warm, clear skies, fresh air. If I close my eyes, I feel like I'm back home. I probably shouldn't, I'll end up walking into a lamppost.'  
_Strolling aimlessly, I found myself nearing one of the training grounds. It wasn't the third, where Team Seven passed, but it seemed familiar. I heard grunting, sounds of something hitting wood and somebody mumbling so I decided to check it out. _'Who would be training at this hour?' _Coming into the clearing, I found out exactly who. _'I reckon he looks better after he graduates, in my opinion. That braided ponytail and hair parting look way worse if you ask me.'_

"756, 757, 758" He seemed to be doing some log kicks. _'I don't know how he does it, training for so long. Must be pure willpower.'_

"Yo, what are you doing training so late?"

"Ah, you startled me. I am training to become a great ninja!"

"Shouldn't you be doing more than just physical training?"

The young boy looked crestfallen. "I cannot become a ninja by the regular means."

"Why not?"

"When I was born, my chakra coils were malformed and it has become impossible for me to mold it. I cannot use any ninjutsu or genjutsu. Everybody at the academy tells me I should quit. I think even the teachers don't want me there."

"Maybe they are right."

"W-What?"

"A ninja should be a well rounded fighter. Able to use genjutsu, ninjutsu and taijutsu. Watch what I can do." I walked up to a tree, got into a relaxed stance and launched a devastating low kick to it. Upon contact, my shin practically destroyed it. It was like a truck had just hit it. The trunk splintered and exploded almost like a spiderweb fracture on glass. When I removed my leg, a large chunk of it was missing with the surrounding wood crumbling.

The young boy was agape. "How did you do that?"

"Let me tell you something. There is a technique where you gather a large amount of chakra into a limb and upon contact with the target, expel it all through your body, into the target. This causes the damage you deal to increase exponentially. Some ninjas who can do it can level mountains with a single punch. Or so the legends go."

The boy looked very disheartened that he would not be able to do what I did without chakra.

"I'll let you onto a little secret of mine." I leaned in close to him, "I don't actually have any chakra in my body."

The boy's head shot up at that. "What? You don't have any chakra?"

"Right. what you saw just then was pure physical strength. Remember something, the only person you need to believe in you, is yourself."

"Thank you! What is your name?"

"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

"Ah, my apologies. My name is Rock Lee!"

"I am Hiruma Shin."

"Thank you for your words. I will take them to heart!"

"No problem." I started to leave. As I heard the tree finally collapse, I shouted back to him, "Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you that you can't do something. All right?"

"Okay."

"If you have a dream, you have to protect it. If people can't do something themselves, they want to tell you that you can't do it. If you want something, go get it. Period."

"Yosh! I shall train even harder from now on!"

Once I'd left, I thought to myself, _'Well, he should be a little stronger now when he meets Gai. That's if he really does train harder now. He probably will. It helps that I know stuff I can use from my old world. I'm surprised I remembered the whole thing. Must be the improved brain doing it's job. Now, where should I go next? I wouldn't mind going to a bar except for the fact that I doubt the medical staff administering the blood tests would be too happy about that.' _Deciding in the end to just go home and sleep, I headed back the way I came.

* * *

Home

Walking up the steps of the building I was staying in, I heard someone shuffling about and muttering.

"The goddamn lock is always stuck. When is the landlord gonna fix this." I heard a click. "Finally."

I reached the top of the stairs and the first thing I saw was bright yellow hair. _'Striking. At least he isn't wearing that awful orange yet.'_

I called out, "Hey, I'm Hiruma Shin. Do you live here too?"

The boy turned to me and smiled. "Sure I do. You live next to me right? I saw you as I left for ninja academy! My name's Uzumaki Naruto by the way."

_'What? He's already in the academy?' _"Aren't you a little young for academy? You can't be any older than 6."

He looked a little annoyed by that. "I'm not 6, I'm 7. I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet. Besides, you join the academy at 6 here anyway."

_'Well, I must have been wrong about that then.' _"So then, Naruto. Why do you want to be a ninja then?" I needed to find an in with him and the opportunity just fell into my lap.

His eyes lit up with that and managed to smile even wider, "I plan to become the greatest Hokage ever and get everyone in Konoha to respect me!"

_'Well at least he didn't say 'Believe it!'' _"Why wouldn't anyone respect you now?"

Naruto's smile slipped and I noticed some sadness in his eyes. "I don't know. For some reason, almost all of the adults seem to hate me. Whenever I walk by them, it's as if they can't bear to look at me. Whenever I try to talk to them, they either flat out ignore me or shout at me to go away. The only ones who like me are Iruka-sensei, the old man, and the Ichiraku's."

"Old man?"

"The Hokage."

I chuckled at that. "Old man, eh? Sounds like you two are pretty close."

"Yep! He helps me when some of the adults are really nasty to me and call me names like 'Demon' or 'Monster'. He also is paying for me to stay here! He said when I become a ninja, I will have to pay for myself though." He pouted a little at that.

"I met him, he seems like a nice guy. The Ichiraku's too. Best ramen I've had in my life." _'The only ramen I've had in my life.' _"Maybe I'll treat you to a bowl sometime." I made sure to add in 'a bowl'. I wasn't gonna pay for his ramen binge. I don't have the cash.

He lit up at that, "Thanks Shin! Well I'll see you later!"

"Seeya. Oh, if you ever want to talk, feel free to drop by."

"Okay. Bye"

With that, we both entered our respective rooms. My little home away from home was two roomed. One small bathroom with a shower, sink, toilet and mirror, and the large room that had a kitchen and a bed. There were some furnishings like a desk and some cabinets and wardrobes but nothing too fancy. I think it would be described as 'spartan'. I started to think about everything that had happened to me over the past few days. Or months, depending on how you look at it.

_'Went to drop some crap off at my sisters house, 5 seconds later, I'm being chased by a black hole, experimented on and chucked into the Naruto world like some junkie who'd just OD'd being thrown out of a car into some alleyway.'_

Chucking my top onto my bed, I walked into my bathroom. _'I might as well get a better look at myself.'_

Standing in front of the mirror, I admired my new body. _'Narcissistic I know but when you look as good as this, you are allowed a little pride.'_

My muscles were much more defined, I had an 8-pack, my shoulders were a broader and I really did seem to have really low body fat. I must have grown a couple of inches as well. _'I must be about 6'3" now.__'_ I had short dark hair and I really did look like Jensen, without the Aug's and scars of course. All in all, I had, in my belief, the perfect male physique. I really couldn't bring myself to bear any ill will to the guy who did this to me anymore. '_I never had much in the old world anyway. Here, I have a perfect body, I'm smarter, stronger and faster and I get to see a lot of shit in person, that I always wondered what it would be like.' _After relieving myself, I walked to my bed, lay down and started thinking again. _'I wonder why I think more when I'm trying to sleep? At least I know where to go if I need to think about something. Right. First, new powers. Start from the top._

_Brain. If my brain has been 'upgraded', I might have much more control over my body than any normal person. I might even be able to slow down my heartbeat with just my will if I am right. Actually, I'll try this after I've finished but I might also be able to send myself off to sleep instantly as well for an exact amount of time. That's something I always wished I could do when it took me an hour to get to sleep almost every night.  
Eyes. Right. Not sure what else I might be able to do aside from what was already explained in the pamphlet._ _Extra modes - Night Vision, Infrared and 20x Zoom._ _I wonder if the sunglasses have any special features?' _

Activating them again, I saw a little icon pop up. _'That wasn't there before'._ Focusing on it, it expanded and a message popped up. 'Congratulations! As I'm sure you're wondering, 'Why didn't I see this before?'. Well, let me tell you! Some of your new abilities or features will only activate if you consciously come to a decision that it is, or should be, theoretically feasible. There are still only a finite amount of abilities you have been given, so don't expect yourself to become a God. Doesn't the saying go that you have to kill everybody for that? "I wonder if I could fly? I doubt it." Anyway, as an added convenience, all information in the pamphlet can now be accessed in the sunglasses just by focusing your eyes on the corresponding icon and willing it to open.

Now, a new feature has been added to your sunglasses! I decided, if I was going to make the sunglasses _look _like the original, I may as well make them _function _like the original. So, your sunglasses will now come with a toggle on/off HUD. This will come with - current health level, this will be determined by a variety of factors including blood levels, oxygen levels and all injuries sustained. You will be able to bring up a full body image of yourself - not for admiring - which will show any injuries you have received and how best to treat them. It will also show how much energy you have left.

In the corner, a map will appear now, anybody you 'tag', will appear on the map with icons colour coded depending on how you view them to be, red for enemy, green for ally and white for neutral. If you know their names, they will also appear below the icons. As long as you either keep sight of them, or can hear where they are, they will stay on the map. You will be able to bring up a map of the surrounding area with your current location shown if you know where you are. It won't work if you have been abducted!

You will also be able to activate a visual representation of your memories, such as what items you are carrying with the usual inventory, any information you have obtained in separate files, and even re-watch movies if you want! Use your imagination! I even included some extra information and muscle memory for some activities into your brain to help you. As an added bonus, - You seem to be getting a lot of added bonuses! - I have decided to be very nice to you and add several games to the sunglasses. It was a little tricky to get it to work but I managed to do it. To play the games, just go to the corresponding icon, - The controller - and focus on which you wish to play. Now, here comes the tricky part. To be able to play the game, I have tampered with the electrical signals between what you see, and what you feel. This means that when you pick up the virtual controller I added, it will feel as if you are actually holding it! The weight, texture and shape are all based from previous memories of the same controller. All in all, it will be a nostalgic experience! No multiplayer though! Whenever something new is unlocked, you will still hear the beep, but also a small notification will appear with the information. It is the same one you saw earlier. That's all for now!"

_'How nice of him. If it even is a him. It sounded like a him. Could be an it. Who knows?' _I shook my head quickly before I got too off topic. _'Right. Visual memories. It should be easier to keep records on people if they are all compiled into informational sheets in my head. Let's try it now.__'_

Focusing on the memories icon, I scrolled across the icons to information. Opening that up, there were more bars that held information on specific things. There was, currently, Confidential, People, Factions, Locations, Weapons, Wildlife and Plant life. Scrolling down to people, I opened it. All the names of people I had personally met since arriving in this world. Opening the file named Uzumaki Naruto, I was greeted by a last know visual representation of him. To the left of him, I was told his Name, Current age and Birth Date, Height, Weight - this was blank as I did not have the current information. All other information on him like hobbies, interests, background that I currently knew, was written down in paragraphs below.

_'This really will help with keeping records.' _Getting up, I made myself a burger and after finishing it, brushed my teeth and went to bed.

_'I'll probably be taken for the tests early so I need to get some sleep. If I have the time, I'll get myself a new get-up as well. Right, let's see if I was right about th-'_

I was out like a light.

* * *

_**Author's note: I know that a bulk of my chapters so far has been made up of me explaining new abilities and such but they will be fewer and further in between from now on. I don't think the length of my chapters will be consistent as they will be subject to the situation.  
**_

_**Once again, please give honest feedback. **__**If it's positive, tell me what you think I'm doing right and I'll try to do more of it, i**__**f it's negative, I will try and correct any mistakes, if it's negative but obviously just a "u suck balls fag loser get a lyfe faget" I'll just ignore it.  
**_

_**Also, if anybody is wondering why my character seems like he doesn't know any of the characters that well, it's because it probably wouldn't be a very good idea announcing it to everyone that he knew more than he should.**_

_**Thanks for reading.  
**_


	5. Onto New Things

_Chapter 4 - Onto New Things  
_

_'Thinking'_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, books, TV-shows or games.

* * *

Home

I woke up at exactly 05:25. _'God. I think my internal alarm clock is still set to wake up for work now.' _Going back into 'sleep mode' as I decided to call it, I woke up again at 07:30. Still lying down, I turned my head to the side and noticed something in front of my door. Rolling out of bed, I got up with exaggerated difficulty and proceeded to pick it up. _'Hm. A scroll. I wonder what's inside it.' _Unrolling the scroll, I was greeted by a lot of Kanji writing and thankfully, my brain translated it for me and changed what I saw from Japanese to English. _'I'd be screwed without that.' _Reading the scroll, I was informed that my blood and chakra - or lack of - tests were scheduled for 12:00 today and my physical would be at 11:30 in the morning tomorrow. 'Weasel-san' would escort me to and from the locations. Apparently, most of the manual labour jobs were unavailable as they were outsourced as D-rank missions for the younger ninja as team building exercises. _'Cheap labour always wins eh?' _It seemed that the Hokage might have something else but he is working out the details.

_'I wonder if this scroll is in my little memory warehouse now?' _Activating the glasses and navigating my way to the letters section, a new bar popped up titled 'Tests and Jobs info from Hokage'. Opening it, an exact replica appeared in my field of vision. When I reached out, I actually felt it in my hands. _'This must be what he was talking about the visual - touch tampering for the games.' _

Chucking the scroll in the bin since I didn't need it anymore, I turned back and noticed feathers all over my bed; _'I'm gonna have to buy another pillow now. Why is it no matter where you go, you always get the shit pillows that spit feathers everywhere the moment you touch them. I wonder if anyone sells anything like memory foam pillows here. It'll be easier to sleep with one of those again.' _After picking up all the feathers and disposing of them, I checked the pillow and oddly, there didn't seem to be any holes in it. I had some breakfast, washed the dishes and washed myself. I got dressed, grabbed my wallet - filled with ryō instead of pounds. I stashed my old money away. I guess I just don't like throwing away £350 just because I'd never use it again. I had about 10,000 ryo in total, which equates to about 576 pounds sterling. _'If I remember correctly, and with my improved brain, I should, 100 ryo equates to 1000 yen, and 1000 yen equates to about £5.76. It's gonna be annoying having to keep working this out so I don't get shafted. I hope I get used to the currency values soon.' _I took 2,000 ryo with me and hid the rest under a floorboard I removed and replaced below my bed. _'That'll do until I get something more permanent. Time to go and buy some new clothes I guess. I should probably buy some food as well.' _It was already 8:30 when I left my flat. _'Wait a minute, I forgot to review my other abilities last night. Whatever. I can't be arsed with the rest. I'll find out when it happens.' _After locking my door, heard someone shouting "Hi Shin! Bye Shin!" pretty quickly and turned to catch a quick glimpse of Naruto who seemed to be late for school. Shaking my head, I walked downstairs.

* * *

Once I'd left the building, I activated my inner music player _'A nice find, if I do say so myself'_, and started walking to the nearest clothes shop. My sunglasses seemed to be able to summon a virtual line to follow to my chosen destination. Luckily, according to my internal map, it happened to sell clothing suitable for ninjas as well. _'I'd be surprised if I didn't manage to become a ninja, so I might as well buy it ahead of the game.' _

As I followed the floating yellow arrows, I eventually found myself in front of the shop. It was a fairly large building, probably the equivalent of a Primark and upon entering, I was welcomed by the sight of a vast array of clothing, from sandals to hats. Looking about at the good quality of the clothing, I realized I probably should have brought more money. While browsing aimlessly, a shop assistant asked me if I was looking for anything in particular.

"Not really, I have only just arrived in Konoha with simply the clothes on my back. I'm looking for new clothing that is both easy to move in and comfortable. Since I might be being instated as a Konoha ninja soon, I need some good gear to wear."

"Sure, I'll take you to our ninja section and you can have a browse around there. Just shout if you need any help."

"Thanks."

I was led to a separate section of the store that seemed to be geared specifically towards ninjas. There were replacement headbands for the forehead protector, chuunin and jonin vests, even the walls were decorated with ninja paraphernalia like signed pictures of famous ninjas and dulled replicas of famous weapons mounted on the walls. _'This must be a pretty well known shop if all of this stuff is here, I think I can even see some ninja I know from the anime'. _

"'cough' Haven't seen you around here before, you a ninja from another village?"

_'Fucking hell! I hope it isn't a regular thing for ninjas to see if they can sneak up on others.' _Turning around, without showing any signs I had been startled I replied, "No, I'm actually a civilian but I might become a ninja soon, depending on how well I perform on some physical tests." The ninja who snuck up on me was someone I'd seen before, he had medium length dark hair that hung a little in front of his face. _'God, he really does look sick, Hayate, I think it was' _

"Physical tests? 'cough' Were you always a civilian? I've never heard of anyone becoming a ninja based purely on physical abilities."

"I have a problem with my chakra system so I cannot use it. Due to other abilities I have, the Hokage was generous enough to allow me a chance to prove my worth in the physical tests. I come from a long way from here and this is my first time in Konoha. I'm buying some new gear in advance."

"Well, don't let me keep you. 'cough'"

"Seeya. You should get that cough checked out'

"So they say"

As he left, I turned back to browsing. In the end, I found out that not only were the clothes high quality, they were also pretty cheap. I guess they would have to be considering the work ninjas do. Ending up with a pair of soft running shoes, loose jogging bottoms, thermal top, some tough gloves and even one of those masks Kakashi wears, all in black, I even found a jacket that matched the one in Deus Ex almost exactly. I went to the counter and it totaled up to 2,300 ryo.

"Could you hold that behind the desk for me for a moment, I need to grab a little more money."

"Sure"

Sprinting out of the shop, I managed to run home, grab another 1,000 ryo and make it back in 3 minutes. That's pretty impressive for a distance of 5 miles total including grabbing the money. I think I might be getting a little faster. Taking a breather, I walked back into the shop and bought the clothes. _'I don't want to be carrying this around all day.' _Going back home again, with the extra clothes, I got in, chucked them on the bed and left again to get some food.

After all my shopping was done, I had a total of 7,100 ryo left. Since it was already 10:00, I showered, had something to eat and played some games while waiting for Itachi to pick me up. _'Ah bollocks. I forgot to get a new pillow. Whatever, I'll get one after the tests.'_

* * *

I heard a knock at the door and then complete silence. Not even feet shuffling. _'That's Itachi then. Only an ANBU would be so quiet." _Opening the door, I saw the ANBU in question standing silently in front of the door. "I have come to escort you to the medical center on orders from the Hokage." _'Emotionless as usual'_

"Yeah, yeah. No need to get your panties in a bunch. Let me get my kit on and I'll be out in a second." Shutting the door in his face without awaiting a response for kicks, I got changed into my new kit but left the mask and coat there since it was pretty warm and opened the door again. He hadn't moves a muscle. Walking past him, I said "Chop chop, time's a-wastin', haven't got all day you know."

"Of course. Follow me." _'It's impossible to get a rise out of this guy.'_

We soon arrived at Konoha Hospital, and Itachi left me in the waiting room. "Sign yourself in and one of the medical staff will call you in when they are ready." With that, he left to go do Itachi things like plot evil misdeeds and think about stuff. Who knows what goes through his mind. I went to the desk, signed in, gave my blood type and sat myself down.

After waiting about half an hour to be called in, a medical-nin called my name. "We are ready to see you now Hiruma-san"

I was led into a doctor's office and there was a medic-nin waiting for me. "I'm just going to take a few blood samples and then send you off for the chakra tests."

"Sure"

After he took about two pints worth of my precious mercury of life, I was led, a little dizzyingly, to another, larger office. In this room the Hokage was seated with another ANBU.

"Ah, Hiruma-san. I was waiting for you. I see you have bought some new clothes."

"Yeah, I got them earlier. The clothes were cheaper than I expected."

"Well we can't be charging through the nose for clothes that will in all probability be ruined in a month now can we? Anyway, since we won't be able to do the regular chakra tests like the chakra paper test and so forth, I have brought an medical ANBU who will be able to delve much deeper into your situation. Could you remove your top please so the ANBU can start scanning you?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama." Placing my thermal top on the desk, I sat down.

"Right then, check him for everything we discussed."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

While I sat there, being unnervingly scanned by an ANBU, I asked the Hokage if he had found me a job yet.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I just found someone willing to take on an apprentice. You might like it. After I told him your situation, he was more than willing to lent a helping hand."

I raised an eyebrow, "You told him about me?"

"There's no need to worry, he's a personal friend of mine and I can guarantee he will keep it a secret."

"Alright. So then what will I be doing?"

"He's a weapons dealer and master weaponsmith. He has agreed to take you on as an apprentice and teach you what knows about making weapons and ninja tools. He sells at least 80% of the tools and weapons our ninja forces use today."

"Sounds good. I've always wanted to learn that particular trade."

"That's settled then. Here's the location of his store. Go there whenever you have time." After talking about nothing for a few more minutes, he turned his attention to the ANBU next to me, "It looks like we've finished here then. What have you found?"

"It's remarkable! He has absolutely no chakra in his system, not even traces of it. Usually, all living creatures require chakra to survive, it keeps their organs functioning and help repair any injuries. He is able to function completely normally without it. I checked the rest of his body to make sure. He is in more than perfect condition. His muscles are able to use oxygen more efficiently, his lungs are able to hold up to three times as much oxygen and keep more pollutants out of his blood stream, his kidneys work about 5 times better than even a good ninja. He would be able to beat most poisons just by a little rest. His skeletal structure is a whole other situation. His bones are made from a material I have never observed, or even heard of. I am unable to tell much about it except that they are several times stronger and yet they weigh the same. I am sure that he will do extremely well in the physical tests." I put my top back on.

"Thank you." Turning back to me, he sighed a little, "Well, it seems we were not able to tell much more than you told us in our first meeting Hiruma-san. From what I heard though, I might schedule some extra tests around 19:00 tomorrow. Not these sorts of tests but tests to see how suitable you are to become a ninja. I suggest you get ready at least an hour beforehand and eat lightly tomorrow. You will be working hard."

"Thank you Hokage-sama, I shall take my leave now, unless there is anything else?"

"No, that's all Hiruma-san. I look forward to seeing how you do."

"Goodbye then Hokage-sama"

"Goodbye"

I filled out a couple of forms, signed out and left.

* * *

After buying a new pillow, which wasn't too unlike a memory foam pillow, I made my way home again. It was already 14:00 by the time I got home. I grabbed a bite to eat, rinsed off my face and left to see this weapons dealer. Following the floating arrows again, I arrived at a fairly large store on the outskirts of the town, next to some woodland. The store itself was simply called 'Miyamoto's Weapons' and had a simple sign of a sword and shuriken next to it. Walking inside, I immediately noticed just how many different weapons he sold here. There were Sai, Ninjato, Kusarigama, Kama and other weapons I hadn't even seen before, let alone know the names of. A man came in from the back and smiled. "A new face! I haven't seen you around here before."

"You probably wouldn't have. I'm Hiruma Shin."

"Ah, the apprentice! I am Miyamoto Kojiro. Come with me, I'll show you a little about what I do and explain the basics of smithing."

Kojiro seemed about 38 or so years old,barely shorter than me and dressed in the regular smithing outfit. He had thick stubble and his fairly long, dark hair was tied back into a messy ponytail._ 'He's pretty friendly, doesn't seem too bad. It should be nice working here.'_

He took me into the back where there were scrolls hanging up with the names of the items he sold above them. He caught me looking at them and told me what they were. "Each of those scrolls holds a large amount of the item written above. It helps with storage and saves space."

As we continued on, it got progressively warmer until we reached the room where I would be working. There was a furnace already burning, it was no wonder it was so hot. He explained the tools and their uses, the basics of forging, shaping, quenching and so forth and decided to see how well I would do. Walking me through the steps of making a simple kunai, the finished product was in his words, excellent. "I am incredibly surprised! Nobody has taken to this better than you Shin. I've never seen somebody create even a kunai that was so sharp, well balanced and without any weak points in it on their first try! It's not only excellent for a first try, It's excellent full stop!"

"I guess I'm just good at following your instructions. I watched how you did it and tried to copy it exactly. I reckon my manual dexterity has advanced incredibly due to better muscles and my improved brain."

"Well I'd say you did a good job of it. I'll inform the Hokage that I will be taking you on although I doubt it'll take much to make you into a good weaponsmith."

Leading me out, he told me about how he doesn't make all of the tools he sells. "I can't make them all you see, I sell hundreds of shuriken alone a week. I wouldn't be able to keep up with demand. I don't sell low quality weapons either. I still forge weapons for friends and high ranking dignitaries, it helps with sales when people who are up in the world are seen with tools that I made myself.

After some more explaining of the ins and outs of his work, I said goodbye and left for home. It was already 20:30 once I'd got home and I heard a lot of noise next door. _'Naruto must be having his friends around.' _I walked up to my door and saw Naruto's door open. Kiba, Choji and Shikamaru walked out saying their goodbyes to Naruto. "Seeya later guys!"

"Seeya Naruto"

"Seeya"

"Bye"

The three looked up at me curiously as they walked past me but dismissed me.

"Oh hey Shin!" Naruto smiled and waved at me.

"Hi Naruto" I waved back.

"What have you been doing all day?"

"Just taking some blood and chakra tests."

"Why's that?"

"Because I made a deal with the Hokage that if I take some tests, he'll give me a chance to become a ninja."

"You're gonna become a ninja? That's so cool!"

"Only a chance. Although I doubt I'll fail. You should train with me sometime. I'll teach you some stuff I know that'll help you become a ninja."

He was practically foaming at the mouth at this. "Really? You'd actually train me to become a ninja?"

"Of course! I see no reason why not. While I'm not a ninja myself, I am better than any other person in a lot of ways. I know a lot about the ninja world and if you are willing to learn, I am willing to teach."

"Yeah! When can we start?"

"It'll have to be the day after tomorrow at the earliest. I've got my physical tests and ninja tests tomorrow so I'll probably be wiped out. I'll buy you some ramen after training. One bowl though. Anymore than that and you pay for the extra."

"Sure!"

"I'll pick you up when I'm ready. Get any gear you usually wear for training ready tonight so your not in a panic when I pick you up."

"Ok. Seeya then!"

"Seeya"

* * *

Locking my door, I had another shower to get the grime off me from the smithing store. Toweling myself off, I put on my jogging bottoms and lay down on the bed. _'Right. I have a job, tomorrow I have the physical and ninja tests, the day after, I'm training Naruto a little. It's going to be an interesting few days at this rate.'_

After making myself some late dinner, I washed up, turned the lights off and went to bed. As I walked back to bed I was thinking to myself. _'This night vision really comes in handy. I wonder why those feathers got everywhere. To be honest, I didn't even think the pillows were filled with feathers. It was filled with that cotton or polyester padding. Where could they have come from? I doubt someone would break into my room just to throw feathers at me while I was sleeping. The only other explanation is that I did it. Is it some new ability or something? The ability to grow feathers out of my ass that take the piss to clean up. What an ability. I didn't turn into a bird while I was sleeping di- _'BEEP' "I turned into a bird while I was sleeping didn't I."

Activating my sunglasses I opened the notification. 'Congratulations!' "Yeah, yeah. Get to it." 'You have activated one of your limited special abilities. You were given this ability using either magic or incredibly evolved technology, I'm not saying which. Shapeshifting. There are many names for people who can do this, Polymorph, Skinwalker etc. Basically, at this moment, you are able to shift into a bird. More specifically, a peregrine falcon. The fastest animal on Earth. Peregrine falcons can reach speeds upwards of 200mph when diving and their eyesight is many times better than any humans. Theirs are naturally better than yours! As time passes, you will learn how to shift into other creatures. With practice, you will be able to alter your facial features and body to make yourself look like anyone you wish. Good for evasion or infiltration, since it's not a henge, no chakra is used so it's undetectable. After a lot more practice, you will be able to do a lot more with it. I won't tell you what though, that's for you to find out! Seeya!'

"Well, that's pretty cool." I decided to try it out. Visualizing the peregrine falcon and willing the ability to activate, I felt a weird sensation. It was as if everything was falling away. Next thing I knew, I was 18 inches tall and everything suddenly came into incredible focus. It was like seeing a new world. Even though it was very dark, I could see pretty well. It's hard to explain. You'd have to experience it to get it. Shifting back I let out a breath. _'I'm gonna practice with this more some other time. For now, it's time to sleep. It's already 10 o'clock.'_

Getting in bed, I closed my eyes and told my body to rest completely and not awaken without due cause until 9:30. With that, I was in the land of Nod.

* * *

_**Author's note: I don't know much about proper smithing so there will be some discrepancies between real smithing and this one. There won't be much detail put into that as a result.  
**_

_**I've decided to give the readers some interaction with the story. Basically, tell me what you think would be feasible with the characters improved body, and if I think it's a good idea, I'll put it in. If I don't put your idea in, it's either because I don't think it'd work or I don't want to give my character that specific ability. Also, Put in a special power that you would want to see my character be able to do. Shapeshifting is one of the few powers I will give him and although I have a few already in mind, I'm not averse to some suggestions.**_

_**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.**_


	6. All Work and No Play

_Chapter 5 - All Work and No Play  
_

_'Thinking'_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, books, TV-shows or games.

* * *

Home

_'That was a nice sleep. Best I've had in years.' _Getting up, I thought about my day. _'Physical at 11:30, Ninja test at around 19:00. Gotta be ready for that. Two hours till my physical, Itachi will probably pick me up around 11:00 so I have just under an hour and a half to play with. It's the weekend isn't it? Naruto might not be at the academy today. I might be able to get him started on some training now instead of later.' _I got dressed in my soft trainers, jogging bottoms and short sleeved thermal top.

After grabbing something to eat and washing, I left my room and knocked on Naruto's door. 30 seconds later I was still waiting so I decided to prank him. Using the lock-picking information I had access to, I picked his front door, with a degree of difficulty _'That lock really does need replacing', _I snuck into his room, completely silently navigating my way through the empty ramen cups on the floor, made my way to his bed where he was sprawled out, snoring quite loudly and with a little drool. _'Very nice.'_ I gently placed my hands on his shoulders and shook him softly. "Wake up Naruto" I said quietly to him. When that didn't work, I started violently shaking him up and down screaming in his ears, "NARUTO WAKE THE GODDAMN FUCK UP! I WASTE MY PRECIOUS TIME DECIDING TO TRAIN YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME? YOUR AN ASSHOLE! I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO TRAIN YOU ANYMORE!"

"I'm up!" Naruto shot awake, eyes frantically darting left to right, trying to find out what all the commotion was about.

"Finally up are you? I decided that since I had about an hour before going for my physical, I would give you some tasks to get started on."

"You're training me already?" Naruto was understandably ecstatic at this information.

"Yeah yeah, grab your kit and something to eat with you since I expect you to be training for a while. I will come by to see how you're getting on between the tests to rest."

"Ok!" He started running about to grab his bag and some instant ramen to take with him.

"Naruto, how are you going to eat that ramen? You need to boil it. Where are you going to boil it training?"

"What? Dammit. I didn't think of that."

"Whatever. Here, take this with you instead." I handed him some fruit and a sandwich. "This'll have to keep you going since you didn't prepare properly. Just like the boy scouts, a ninja must always be prepared."

"Boy scouts?"

"Never mind. Let's go"

* * *

Third Training Ground

"Alright, since it took up 15 minutes to get here, I have maybe another 45 minutes before I'll be going for the training so start listening."

Naruto sat down in front of one of the three logs while I stood facing him.

"There are many rules to being a shinobi like, A shinobi must always put the mission first, A shinobi must never show their tears, A shinobi must follow their commanders instructions etc. Now while it is a good idea to follow these rules, I believe that all rules are made to be broken, or bent at least."

"But the teachers said that if a shinobi breaks the rules, he is trash?"

"That is sometimes true. But think about this. What would you do if your mission required you to look on as innocent civilians were mercilessly slaughtered, just so you would not injure yourself so as to compromise the mission?"

"I would help those civilians _and_ complete the mission!"

"That is what I would do as well, but you must remember, any choice you make could make or break the mission and you need to be prepared to live with the consequences. As long as you are willing and able to do that, you shouldn't do too bad. Behind me is a memorial stone that holds the name of many great shinobi."

"Really? I want my name to end up on there then."

"Not too soon though, every ninja's name on there is one who has been killed in action in the service of Konoha. _'Except for at least one I could name'"_

"Well maybe not too soon then" he laughed, looking a little embarrassed.

I clapped my hands together. "Right. That's enough of that depressing talk. I'm sure you want to get training."

"Yeah! What are we going to do?"

"_We_ aren't going to do anything. _You _on the other hand will be learning chakra control."

"Chakra control? But I suck at that!"

"Which is pretty obviously why you should work on it. Isn't it Naruto?"

"Yeah yeah. What am I going to do then?"

"Climb that tree over there." I pointed to a fairly large tree near us.

"That's easy."

"With no hands."

"That's harder."

"You will do this by focusing a fixed amount of chakra to your feet and using that chakra, you will affix yourself to the tree and proceed to walk up it. Take this." I chucked him a kunai.

"Woah! Watch it!" After jumping away from my kunai, he asked what it was for.

"That, Naruto, is for you to mark how high you get each time. Some pointers, start off walking up the tree instead of running, the point isn't to get as high as you can without falling off, but to stay on for as long as possible. If you use too little chakra, you will slip off, too much however, and you will fly off. The key is to keep it at the point between those two places."

"Could you show me how it's done?"

"Nope."

"What? Why not?"

"Because, I just don't want to. That, and I don't have any chakra in my body. I could still climb it with my own personal technique though."

"No chakra? That's impossible."

"Everything seems impossible until it has been done. I would prove it to you but you will just have to take my word for it."

"Alright then. I'll get started."

Walking up to the tree, he planted a foot on it which immediately slipped straight down and his face hit the tree.

I started laughing uncontrollably. "Shut up Shin! You can't do it so don't laugh at me!"

After that, I saw Itachi flicker in front of me. "What are you doing here Shin-San? I had to track you from you home to find you."

_'Shin-san? I guess he's warming up to me.' _"I'm just showing Naruto some chakra control exercises. Care to show him how it's done?"

"Who are you? I've seen you with the Hokage when he helped me sometimes."

"My name is Weasel. I am one of the top ANBU at the moment. I will show you how it's done." After introducing himself, Itachi walked straight to the tree, straight up and even upside down on one of the branches, before dropping and flipping around while landing silently on his feet without missing a beat. "Satisfied Shin-san? We must get going for the physical tests now."

"Bloody show-off" Naruto mumbled under his breath.

"Right. I'll see you later then Naruto. I expect you to have improved by the time I get back."

"Seeya"

* * *

It was quarter past eleven when I arrived at the test center. I was told that I would be taken for the tests in a few minutes. I lay down on one of the benches while I waited.

"Hiruma-san?"

"That's me."

"Come with me."

I was led into a room with a lot of surprisingly modern looking equipment. There was a treadmill, heart rate monitor and all the other crap you'd see if you were going for a physical.

"Hiruma-san. A pleasure to see you again."

Turning around, I came face to face with the Hokage. He was dressed in more casual clothing this time and didn't have his hat on.

"Hello Hokage-sama. I reckon I could hazard a guess at what I'll be doing" _'Probably a lot of running and lifting at least.'_

"Please, call my Sarutobi. I'm not dressed in my robes right now, I'm on a little break. I'm quite thankful for this little interruption between signing one hundred pieces of paperwork and the other three hundred."

"Alright then, Sarutobi-san. What will we be doing first?"

"I'll let my friend here tell you."

A man who was dressed in a white lab coat and glasses, _'I think he's probably a scientist' _Told me what I would be doing.

"Hiruma-san. Today, your height and weight will be measured. After that, you will go for an eyesight and hearing test. Once you have completed those, we will get started on the proper physical tests such as how fast you can run, your endurance, oxygen levels, how strong you are and your reaction time. First, would you like to tell me if there have been any changes in your circumstances since yesterdays tests?"

"Yes actually, I have acquired a new ability. A very interesting one at that."

Both the Hokage and scientist looked very interested at that.

"Last night, I activated one of my few dormant abilities. The person who experimented on me added some abilities that would awaken when certain circumstances were met. I'd rather not go into them right now and I don't know what the others are but last night, I activated a shapeshifting ability."

"Shapeshifting?" The scientist started scribbling down on his notepad at this.

"Yes, so far I can shift into a bird of prey, the peregrine falcon, but apparently, with a lot more practice, I would be able to shift into anything biologically possible."

"That is incredible! Could you give us a demonstration?"

"Sure." I concentrated and the form came much easier this time. When I had fully shifted, I flew up onto the desk and let the two of them take it all in.

"Thank you, could you shift back now? We'll do more on this some other time."

I tried to reply 'Of course', but what came out was a weird high pitched squawking sound that I'm pretty sure they didn't understand. I shifted back and tried again.

"There you go."

"That was extraordinary! I don't know why your clothes seemed to shift with you but it will be interesting to find out. Let's get started on your height and weight. Take your shoes off and anything you have in your pockets out and step under here please."

After removing the aforementioned items, I stepped below a measurement bar looking thing, straightened my back and stood there until he said to step away. He wrote down on his notepad again.

"Right, could you stand on those scales now?"

"Sure" I stood on the scales and stepped back off when he told me to.

"Right. You are 6ft 5 inches tall and weigh about 215 pounds. Most of that extra weight is from pure muscle since muscle weighs more than fat. Your muscle also seems to weigh a little more than normal, which is probably caused by the superior quality. Follow me and I'll take you to the hearing test."

Putting my shoes on and picking up my wallet and key, I followed him to a booth that he told me was soundproofed. "Put these headphones on and whenever you hear a tone, press the button in your hand."

I sat down and the test took about 5 minutes to go through entirely. After leaving, he was looking very impressed again. "Your hearing is way beyond normal human levels. You can hear tones from between 12 to 52,000 hertz. That's better than any dog could do. Well we might as well see just how much better your eyesight is than the rest of us regular people." He laughed.

He sat me down into a chair and gave me an eye patch to put on. "Put it over your left eye first and read as far as you can."

I started reading the letters off fairly easily. It was a little more difficult at the bottom as I was using my regular vision but I managed to read every letter.

"Switch eyes now." He switched the board around.

Doing the same again, I read all of the letters.

"You may take off the patch now. Once again, your eyesight is much better than most peoples. Since I don't have anything smaller than what you just read, all I can tell you is that your vision is at least 20/10. That simply means that you can read at 20 feet away, what most people would only be able to read at 10 feet away."

_'And that's without the 20x magnification' _"So then, onto the physical tests?"

"No, the reaction time first, then the physical."

"Ok."

I was sat in front of a desk with a machine of sorts on it. "Basically, the instant you see the light flash, press the button. It's as simple as that."

Hovering my finger over the button, I pressed it as soon as it flashed. This went on for about two minutes when he told me I was finished.

"Onto the physical tests now?"

"Yes, follow me."

We arrived back into the room with the treadmill and heart rate monitor. "Take off your top and I'll attach these wires to you." I removed my top and after attaching the wires, he motioned me to step onto the treadmill. "This is a specially built treadmill. It can reach speeds of up to 1,000mph. That's simply because there are some ninja capable of reaching extremely high speeds. We'll start off at about 10 mph and will steadily increase the speed until you are unable to go any faster. Whenever you wish to stop, hit the button on the treadmill and it will slow down until it comes to a complete stop."

I started jogging at 10mph and he told me he would start increasing the speed now. I started running at 20, 30, 50, 80mph and it was still increasing. By about 150mph, I was breathing a little harder but I could still go on. I managed to reach up to 250mph before I couldn't go any faster. I hit the button and the treadmill slowed down and after about 30 seconds, stopped completely. I was breathing more heavily but very soon regained my breath and after 20 seconds, i was breathing normally again. _'He told me I could only go 5 times faster then normal, That was over ten times faster! I must be improving very quickly.'_

"It's remarkable! Topping out at 250mph, his heartbeat didn't increase as much as I expected it to but his oxygen levels increased much more to allow his muscles to work harder. I assume that the improved lungs are the reason for this. I'll get you on the weights and once that's done, I'll give you all your results."

I was taken to a room which had some bars in. There were no weights I could see and was told that the bars were chakra conductive.

"These bars are special. They have had seals written on them which allow you to change the weight according to how much chakra is put into it. Lie down over there and I'll grab you one. You will bench press every time I add chakra. Tell me when it is too much."

Lying down, I stretched my arms and waited for the bar. Once he handed it to me, he said, "I will set the starting weight at about 300kg. If what you told me is true, this should be no sweat." Placing a hand on top of it, he told me to say when.

"When." I laughed a little until he added the chakra. I immediately felt the extra weight drop down on me. _'This is quite heavy. Nothing I can't handle though.'_

With little effort, I performed one rep. "That was easy, double it."

"Ok. 600kg" He added more chakra. It was more difficult again but still pretty easy.

"Double it again."

"Sure?"

"Yes."

"1200kg" Now I was feeling it. It took a lot more effort to lift this one up but I managed it.

"Turn it up to 2000kg."

"Are you sure?"

"Very."

"2000kg." I was pushed down immediately and I heard the bench start creaking in an attempt to hold the extra weight.

It was considerably difficult but after a lot of effort, I managed to push out one rep.

"I think that's enough for now. I don't think I'll be able to bench press much more than that."

"Ok. I'll take you back to the waiting room and give you a summary of the results."

* * *

Waiting Room

Waiting for the results, I wondered just how much I would improve. _'I've more than doubled the predicted speed, I'm at least 25x stronger instead of just 20, I'll probably get even better as time passes.'  
_

The scientist walked back in with the Hokage. "Himura-san. Your speed and strength are better than that of most jonin, your eyesight and hearing is better than almost any ninja I know of, your reaction time was incredible and if we factor in any other abilities, you would make an incredible ninja."

"Thank you Sarutobi-san. I assume that means we will go ahead with the ninja tests at 19:00 then?"

"Yes. I have no doubt you will pass the tests. Depending on how well you do, I will be able to grant you a rank in the ninja forces between genin and jonin."

"Thank you Sarutobi-san. Now I will get back to helping out a mutual friend of ours. I believe you know Naruto."

"Ah yes! Naruto. He's a good kid, it's a shame the way people around him treat him."

"I was wondering if you'd be able to tell me why that is?"

His eyes hardened for a second before softening. "Unfortunately, I couldn't say. He's been treated that way all his life. It's probably got something to do with the fact that Konoha was attacked by the Kyuubi the day he was born. I would say they see him as a reminder of what happened that day. It's a testament to the Yondaime's skill that he was able to defeat the demon."

"Ah yes, I heard. It's a surprise that everyone thinks it's dead. I guess it'd take a shinobi to know that it's impossible to kill a being of pure chakra. You would only seal it away. I know of the Yondaime's sealing prowess so I know that wherever he sealed it, it's going to stay for a long time."

The Hokage's eyes searched me to see if he could tell just how much I actually knew. I was very good at keeping a poker face so he couldn't glean any information from me. He suddenly sighed as if he'd come to a decision.

"You're close with Naruto right?"

"Yes. I believe that we will become even closer in the future."

"What if I were to tell you the secret that would explain why everyone hates him?"

"I would say go ahead. It wouldn't change the way I feel about the kid. There can't be anything wrong with a kid who just wants respect."

The Hokage looked at the scientist "Could you leave us?"

"Yes Hokage-sama" He left and closed the door. Once he had left, the Hokage made a handsign.

"I have just used a silencing seal on this room. What I am about to tell you is an S-class secret that is punishable by death. If you tell anyone, even Naruto, I will have no choice but to put an end to your life myself."

"You have my word."

"Listen. Seven years ago, on the 10th of October, Naruto's mother gave birth to him. Shortly after, the Kyuubi started terrorizing Konoha. The Yondaime had only been Hokage for a short while when this happened but his ninja prowess was unrivaled. The Yellow Flash, they called him. While our brave ninja threw themselves at the Kyuubi just to buy a little more time until he arrived, he was dealing with an unknown enemy. After finishing there, he used his special technique that earned him the nickname to teleport back to Konoha. He used his techniques to teleport the Kyuubi out of Konoha into the woodlands. It was there that him and another ninja held the Kyuubi down while he sealed it into a baby. That baby was Naruto. The Yondaime died using the only seal strong enough to seal it away. The Shiki Fuujin. This technique would summon the Shinigami to seal whatever you desired into a human being while taking your soul as payment. On that day, Konoha lost it's beloved leader, hundreds of people and had a constant reminder of what happened in the appearance of Naruto. After this happened, I found Naruto alongside the dead bodies of the Yondaime and the other ninja. I understood what had happened by the seal on his stomach and tried to take him away before anyone found out. I was unsuccessful."

The Hokage looked saddened as he relived the experience. "There were many people who came across the situation and in the end, the only way to keep it from spiraling out of control was to tell the population what happened and the declare it an S-class secret punishable by death. If I hadn't, it would have gotten out eventually but I wouldn't be able to control what stories were told. It could have been a lot worse. It probably could have been a lot better as well. The only saving grace is that the new generation don't know what happened and so they won't treat Naruto with any hatred. I can't stop their parents from trying to turn them against him though. It's a shame. Even though the Yondaime's dying wish was to have everyone see Naruto as a hero, the people of Konoha trample all over it. If it wasn't for very serious opposition from the ninja council, the civilians would have revolted and tried to kill him."

He looked back to me. "So, now that you know, what do you think?"

I thought for a few seconds. "Honestly? It's a load of bollocks. Not the story, I believe that, what's bollocks is that even though the people loved the Yondaime, they seem to have so little faith in his abilities, that they think he would have botched the sealing and let the Kyuubi gain control of Naruto. Even if he did a crappy job on the sealing, do they really think that a demon, so strong that it caused the death of so many, would allow anybody to disrespect it without ripping them to shreds?"

"You make a good point. Will you keep it a secret even now then?"

"I promised I would, so I will. Although, I do believe that you should tell Naruto. He doesn't even know who his family is let alone why everyone hates him."

"I made a promise that when Naruto became a ninja, I would tell him everything. His heritage, his tenant, everything. He will know that just by breathing, he is saving countless lives from the Kyuubi."

"I'll hold you to that. I will keep it a secret from Naruto but when he knows, I will help him through any problems he has with it."

"Thank you Hiruma-san. I shan't keep you any longer. It will be interesting to see how Naruto develops if he stays by your side."

"Well I shall see you later, if you will be at the tests?"

"Yes. It's another way to get out of paperwork." He chuckled. "I will send Weasel-san to take you to the test location at 18:30 so you have time to be briefed on what you shall be doing."

"Thank you Hokage-sama."

And with that, I left to see Naruto.

* * *

Third Training Ground

I came into the clearing seeing Naruto lying down sweating heavily.

I decided to wake him up. "Bloody hell Naruto! This is no time to be sleeping. You should be training!" _'To be fair, I have been gone for two hours.'_

Naruto shot up, and promptly fell back over again. "I'm tired as hell, that food you gave me didn't last an hour!"

"Well I brought two bowls of Ichiraku's Ramen with me!"

Naruto started salivating and shot towards me as I set the bowls down.

"Woah woah, what are you doing? These are mine!"

"What? I'm starving!"

"Alright, I'm just kidding, I ate before I came here. Both of these are for you. You will need you strength if you are to keep going.

He instantly started stuffing himself and was practically crying from satisfying his hunger. As he was eating, I looked at the tree and noticed hundreds of cuts reaching all of the way to the top of the tree. "You haven't done it already have you?"

He stopped eating to give me a shit-eating grin. "Sure have, I only finished about 5 minutes before you got here!" _'It must have been easier for him due to lower reserver at this age."_

"Show me."

"Sure but I'll only be able to do it one more time since I'm tired.'

Naruto got up, walked to the tree and started walking up it, a little shakily at first but evened out until he reached the top. He stood there for five seconds and walked back down. After picking his ramen up again he looked at me. "See, I told you I could."

"Well after you've finished that ramen, I've got a more difficult task."

"What is it?"

"More chakra control"

"Aww what? I've just done two hours straight of that!"

"Yeah but this is much harder. You will be learning to walk on water."

"What?"

"The principle is the same as tree climbing. The main difference is that instead of using the same amount of chakra all the time, you will need to constantly change it to stay afloat. When you are able to walk on water as easily as you can walk on land without even thinking about it, you will have mastered it. Some shinobi can skate on it but that's too high level for you now."

"Do I really need all of these chakra control exercises?"

"Yes. The better your chakra control is, the easier it is to use ninjutsu and genjutsu. You will also use less chakra in your techniques so you will be able to use higher level ones with less chakra drain. Have a 30 minute rest and get started. I'm going to sleep until I get picked up for my next test."

"Ok." Naruto pouted. He lay down for a short rest as well.

* * *

5 and a Half Hours Later

I woke up to Itachi standing right behind my head. I sat up like Count Dracula sitting up stock straight in his coffin. Turning my head almost all the way around, I said in a voice completely devoid of emotion, "Weasel-san. One day I will come for you and devour your soul."

Suddenly shaking my head as if I'd just woken up from a dream, I said in my regular voice, "So, are we going now then?"

"Y-yes Shin-san. I shall take you to the test ground." _'There was a barely imperceptible stutter but I heard it. He is only 12 after all'_

"Well let's get going then!"

He led me outside the Konoha walls. "You will be taken to the Forest of Death for the test."

"Well isn't that scary sounding. Any particular reason for the name?"

"It is called that due to the amount of dangerous creatures and plants in there. If you were a regular person, you wouldn't last a day."

"Well I guess it's lucky I'm not a regular person then isn't it?"

Itachi stopped outside one of the gates, sat down and looked at me.

"Shin-san. Your mission is Information retrieval behind enemy lines. Your objective is to enter the Forest of Death, locate and retrieve an important scroll that is being guarded by an unknown number of ninja of unknown level and make it out alive."

"Make it out alive?"

"The ninja have been authorised to use lethal force in this exercise. If you come back without the scroll for any reason, you fail. There is a time limit of 24 hours. If you can't handle this much, you won't be much of a ninja without chakra."

"Right. No time like the present then!"

"Here are the co-ordinates for its current location. The ninja guarding it may move or stay in the same place. There are advantages and disadvantages to either option."

"Alright. I'll see you when I see you then."

"Good luck Shin-san"

Activating my glasses and setting a waypoint, I walked through the chain link gate and started on my way to the location. Unfortunately, since I didn't have a map of the forest, I only had an arrow at the top of my HUD pointing as the crow flies. It was only 2.5 miles to the scroll so I started running, making sure to be as silent as possible. About 30 seconds in, I realized I could make this a whole lot easier with my new ability. Shifting into my falcon form, I flew high up and made my way to the general location of the scroll. After a couple of minutes of flying, I noticed a ninja in an opening between a couple of trees. _'It seems they have opted for staying in the same location. Unfortunately that means they will have almost definitely set up traps and lookouts.'_

Flying lower to get a better view, I counted and tagged a total of 4 ninja. I couldn't get a good enough look to find out who they were but I could not see the scroll. That meant, most likely that one of them was carrying it. I suspect it would be the strongest ninja holding it. _'Or the fastest, if it's important information, sometimes it's better to just try and get away from threats instead of fighting them. I will find out once I get down there.'_

Flying back to about half a mile away from them, I shifted back into normal form. '_I need a closer look.' _I made my way slowly and completely silently to about 200 meters away from the small camp they had set up. I need some camouflage. Looking about, I took my time making netting with some cord I had and the surroundings. Throwing it on, I lay down and crawled closer to the camp, maneuvering past traps and detection systems. They were in a small clearing with large trees around it. _'I need a better vantage point. If I climb one of these trees, I should be able to see a lot better.'  
_ I made my way excruciatingly slowly up the tree, it took me 5 minutes just to reach the first branch. I slowly pulled myself up, making sure I made no noise. By the time I was on the branch, lying down, my arms were starting to burn from the strain I put on them.

Slowly looking over again, I made sure I could see all of them on my internal map. There were four ninja. One was sitting in the middle with what looked to be a scroll in his lap. One was in a Jerry-rigged platform up a tree, and the other two were guarding the ninja on the forest floor. From what I could see, I knew three of the ninja and could guess who the other one was. The ninja with the scroll was Hayate Gekko, he was being guarded by none other that Kakashi and Gai. The one in the tree seemed to be an Uchiha. It made sense. Hayate Gekko was a sword specialist so good, it was what qualified him as a tokubetsu jonin. He would be able to attack and defend very well with his sword. Good for defending the scroll. Kakashi and Gai were two ninja who worked very well together. While Gai preferred to use taijutsu in almost everything, Kakashi uses all three main types of techniques, ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu in a mash-up fighting style that made him one of the fiercest ninjas in the shinobi world. His sharingan didn't exactly make it as difficult for him. The last one was the guy in the tree. From what I could see, he was an Uchiha so his sharingan would make it a lot easier to spot any potential threats. It's lucky that none of the Uchiha could hold a candle to Itachi or I'd be in a lot of trouble.

The Uchiha seemed to have his Sharingan activated a lot. _'He's probably one of the Uchiha who relies too much on his eyes and not enough on his body. I'm not sure but I would say he is the weakest out of the four. Hayate would be third, I'm not sure about Kakashi and Gai. While Kakashi is the epitome of what a ninja should be, Gai cannot be underestimated. He is able to open all the gates and his base strength and speed are nothing to be scoffed at. I need to think of a plan of action for this.'_

I flattened myself against the tree, slowed my breathing and heart rate and started to meditate. _'I won't be able to take on all of them at the same time. I need to find a way to grab the scroll and get away with as little direct contact. If Kakashi or Gai get a hold of me, I'm screwed. Firstly, I should not assume that just because Hayate has _a _scroll, that he has _the _scroll. Ninjas are all about deception. It's more likely that one of the others has it. It could also be a double bluff. Goddammit, it's annoying. I should just plan for each eventuality. If I could shapeshift into others right now, I'd take down the Uchiha and take his place without the others noticing. I should just watch for now. __Sunset will be in another one and a half hours. __I will have the advantage at night.'  
_

While waiting, not much happened. A small campfire was started, the Uchiha was quiet as usual, Gai kept challenging Kakashi and Hayate just coughed every so often. I couldn't get any information from watching them. They obviously weren't crappy ninjas. At just after sunset, I decided to maneuver myself behind Hayate so I would be in the ideal place to strike when the time came. Slowly climbing down the tree using the previous handholds, I lowered myself onto the ground. I crawled around the camp, making sure to stay a good distance away from them. It took an hour to get all the way around and in the end, it was completely dark except for the fire and moonlight barely making it through the trees. I was about 25 meters behind Hayate when I stopped. I heard Gai issue another challenge to Kakashi.

"Kakashi! My eternal rival! I challenge you to another one of our duels! The challenge is to run all the way to the gates of the forest of death and make it back! Whoever makes it back first wins!"

"Can't we just play Janken?"

"No Kakashi! My fires of youth are burning bright and only a fierce challenge may alleviate them!"

"Sure, whatever then."

"Excellent! 3-" Kakashi suddenly started running.

Gai quickly sprinted off too, "Damn you Kakashi! You wont beat me with tricks like that!"

_'There's no way they'd do this on a normal protection mission. It must be a trap. Well I wouldn't want to disappoint them!'_

Gripping the grass in front of me, I tensed my legs, and like a coiled spring, I shot off. Before Hayate could even react, I had gotten to him, snatched the scroll and ran out of the clearing in 2 seconds flat. Still sprinting I shoved the scroll into my pocket then shifted into a falcon. Flying high into the air, I circled round and found Kakashi and Gai already back in the clearing. _'I knew it was a trap. I guess they underestimated just how fast I am.' _I flew away, landed on a tree and shifted back. Opening the scroll, the only thing I noticed was a blinding flash and something hitting me. _'Dammit, it was a fake. I knew it! They're probably on their way here right now. What's that smell? Shit. There was probably a foul smelling substance with the fake so Kakashi's dogs could track me. Since I won't be able to get near them without his dogs knowing, I'll have to do it the old fashioned way. Run and Gun!'_

Shaking my head to try and clear my vision, I dropped straight from the tree and landing, I started sprinting straight back to direction of the camp. After 30 seconds, I saw a group coming directly at me. _'Four ninja. One dog. Gai and dog at front, Uchiha second, Hayate third, Kakashi back. They've seen me. Let's give them something to see.'_

Increasing to top speed, I must have looked a fright. A 6'5" man bearing down on you at 250mph isn't something to take your eyes off. Once I was about 20 meters from them, I launched myself at a tree to their left, grabbed the trunk hard with my left hand and and swung all the way until I was facing them at the side. Releasing myself, I flew at Kakashi, attempting to take out probably the greatest threat on one go with a flying lariat. Unfortunately, as I was close enough to see Kakashi's only visible eye widen, Gai came flying and intercepted me. "DYNAMIC ENTRY!" With his foot firmly planted in my face, I realized maybe I should have gone for Gai first.

I was now moving at considerable speed away from the group and after tumbling a few times, I shoved my hand and the ground and stopped myself. Spitting a little blood, I got up and smirked at them. "Hey, that hurt asshole!"

"What!? He's fine? I had to open three gates just to get there in time and hit him full force in the face and it just hurt?" Gai seemed unhappy.

"Yeah, what can I say? You hit like a girl."

"Don't rise to trash like him. I shall kill him and be done with it." The Uchiha had some confidence, or a lot of stupidity.

The rest of his group didn't stop him coming at me. I guess they wanted me to knock him down a peg or two.

"Come at me bro!"

"No-one except another Uchiha can defeat an Uchiha therefore you cannot defeat me. Surrender now and I may spare your life."

"Doesn't talking shit all day leave a bad taste in your mouth?"

"If you will not surrender, I will kill you." I said nothing. He activated his Sharingan. "So be it. Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

Blowing a sizable ball of flame at me, I decided to do the thing nobody would expect. I ran straight through it. At the speed I was going, I barely noticed the heat. When I reached him, even with his Sharingan, he had no time to dodge. I clamped my hand over his mouth to stop the technique and slammed him into the ground.

Smouldering a little, I couldn't rest a little taunt. "One down, three to go. I'll just retrieve the scroll off your motionless bodies."

Hayate came at me next with Kakashi and Gai watching me. _'They're probably trying to see how I fight. Kakashi even has his Sharingan uncovered.'_

After unsheathing his sword, Hayate came right at me. I pulled out two kunai I had and blocked his first overhead strike with one of them. I attacked his abdomen with the other but he managed to block my attack with the ring of one of his kunai. Jumping back, I launched some shuriken at him. Deflecting them all, he rushed me again and performed his special attack. "Leaf Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon!" Creating two shadow clones, I was rushed on either side of me and above. It was an almost impossible situation to get out of with the three Hayates' attacking simultaneously. Thinking fast, I did the only thing I could to win. Using my improved bones to my advantage, I grabbed both of the swords on either side of me, pulled myself upside down and launched both my feet at Hayates midsection. Catching him off guard, I managed to hit him full force. Both of his clones poofed out of existence, he flew back, hit a tree and fell to the floor. My hands were bleeding profusely. I willed my body to slow the blood flow in my hands to decrease bleeding.

_'Fuck that hurts.' _At this rate, I wouldn't be able to retrieve the scroll. I was already injured from fighting a tokubetsu jonin. Next were two high level jonin, one who used to be an ANBU.

"So are you gonna stare at me all day or do something. Nice eye by the way. Get it from Uchiha's R' Us?"

"What?"

"Never mind." I was in a bad situation. I doubted I could beat either one of them at my current strength, even if I wasn't injured. I needed to get stronger. I made a decision. I usually wouldn't do this but I had no other choice. Grabbing Hayate, I held a kunai to his throat and told them that if they didn't hand over the scroll, I would kill him.

"I doubt you've killed anyone before. You don't have that look about you."

"Nobodies killed anyone before until they kill someone dumbass. There's a first time for everything. Mine will be five fucking seconds from now if you don't hand it over." I hoped that they couldn't tell I was bluffing. I obviously wouldn't do ell as a Konoha ninja if I made it into the ranks by killing one of their own.

"Alright, just take it easy. I'll throw it over to you." They probably were thinking of chasing me down after I'd got it. I had a different plan.

"Don't. Open the scroll so I know it's not a fake."

Kakashi looked at Gai and they nodded to me. "Alright."

Gai brought the scroll out from his vest and unrolled it.

I instantly activated my 20x zoom, memorised the contents and threw Hayate at the both of them. While they fumbled for a second, I took off in the opposite direction and sprinted for all my worth. Five seconds later, Gai popped up next to me, red as a tomato. _'Fuck! He must have opened a couple of gates again. I've gotta get outta here before he grabs me.'_

Shifting into falcon form, I flew straight up and, moving as fast as possible, made my way back to the start point. Once I'd made it past the fence, I shifted back. I rolled a couple of times from momentum before coming to a full stop.

* * *

"Three and a half hours. Not too bad except you blatantly don't have the scroll. You will be debriefed in the tent that has been set up. The other four ninjas will join us."

"No rest Weasel-san?"

"You don't need rest to talk."

He led me to a medium sized, army looking tent. Inside, there was a large rectangular table with several chairs surrounding it. I sat down on one and waited for the rest of the guys.

Gai entered first, looking a little angry at how I used the body of a colleague to complete my mission, Kakashi came in next, looking bored as usual, eye covered up again, Hayate limped in with the help of Itachi. The other Uchiha I guess, was recovering from his little headache. Once the Hokage entered, everyone sat down and waited for him to start talking.

"Alright everyone. I would like to thank our ninja for volunteering for this test. Himura-san, I would like you to give an account of everything you did from start to finish."

"Alright."

A few minutes later

"So I realized that them two were way too strong to go up against, even if I wasn't injured. I bluffed them with the threat of killing their comrade, got them to unroll the scroll to prove it was real, memorised the contents and got out of there. Sharpish. I knew that if I did take the scroll from them, I wouldn't be able to get away so I bluffed them into thinking I would."

Kakashi piped up at this. "How could you read it? It was pretty dark out there and even if it wasn't, you were way too far to be able to read it."

"I have some abilities. The two I used then was my ability to see almost perfectly in the dark, and the ability to magnify my vision up to 20x."

Gai seemed placated that I wouldn't actually have killed Hayate and complimented me on my strength. "Ahh Himura! You truly hold the fires of youth! To be able to easily take one of my kicks while I have opened even one gate is remarkable! Never mind three! If Kakashi wasn't already my Eternal Rival, I would give you that honor!"

Kakashi looked at me as if to plead me to take the 'honor' of the title from him. "I couldn't. I don't think Kakashi could take it if he lost his rival."

"You are probably right. Kakashi! Lets have another challenge!"

"What? Did you say something?"

"Damn you Kakashi and that hip attitude! I swear if you ever take on a team, you had better not turn them as hip as you!"

"I really must be hearing things." Kakashi rubbed his ears.

"Aaaahhhh!"

The Hokage cleared his throat. "Yes, well even though you performed well, you failed the task. If it was just information to be received, you would have succeeded, but what if it was a scroll holding stolen goods, or a legendary weapon? After considering your performance, I have decided to instate you as a Konoha ninja with the rank of Chuunin."

"Chuunin? I thought I would be at least a tokubetsu jonin?"

"Even though you are at least at that level, I can't just give you that rank straight from being a civilian. You would have to be a lot better for that. That's all for now, you may leave to go home. Himura-san, I will have your forehead protector and Chuunin vest sent to your home tomorrow."

"Is it possible to get it in black?"

"If you insist. Now let's get some sleep. It's late and I have a lot of paperwork to catch up to in the morning."

"Why don't you use clones if it's so hard?" I asked as he was exiting the tent.

He froze mid-step. He stood silently for several seconds before sighing loudly. "Goddammit" He muttered.

_'I really don't get why he didn't think of that. He knows all techniques created in Konoha so he obviously knows the shadow clone. I'm fucking cream crackered right now. I better pick Naruto up and go home before I collapse right here.'_

Making my way to Naruto after grabbing some ramen to take, I found him in the middle of almost water walking.

"Yo Naruto! I've got some ramen!"

He promptly dropped into the river. I doubt he'd get any wetter than he already was. It's a good thing he was only in his shorts. "What the hell Shin! I almost had it!" He paused, "Did you say ramen?"

"Yep." Bringing the bowls in front of me I told him I'm heading home. "You won't be able to finish it tonight, we'll work on it tomorrow morning. Let's eat on the way home."

"Alright. Let me grab my clothes." He put his kit on and started walking with me. I handed his bowl to him and some chopsticks.

"I'm a ninja now you know?"

He sputtered, "What? Your already a Genin?"

"No, I'm a Chuunin."

"Really? That's amazing! You gotta tell me what happened!"

I retold my story while we walked home.

* * *

Home

Just outside my room we stopped.

"That's amazing! You've gotta be way stronger than even my teacher then!"

"Most likely." I put my hand on his shoulder. "Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"You know when you told me people called you 'Demon' and 'Monster' and the like?"

"Yeah?" His smile slipped a little,

"Do you think you are?"

"I don't know. I can't think of any other reason that everybody hates me." He looked on the verge of tears.

"No Naruto. What you're supposed to say is, 'Don't be fucking ridiculous, If I was a demon, don't you think I'd have tore Konoha a new arsehole by now?' Yeah?"

Naruto giggled. "Thanks Nii-san."

I was surprised to hear that from him. "No problem, Otouto."

Naruto broke into the biggest smile I'd seen and hugged me as hard as he could. "I'll see you around Nii-san"

"Seeya."

We went into our rooms and locked the doors. _'He's probably happier than he's even been right now. He has someone who is willing to be an older brother to him. He's never had a family before so it'll be a big thing for him. If I mess this up, it'll ruin him." _I barely had time to hit the bed before I was going to sleep.

'BEEP' "Fuck you." I went to sleep.

* * *

_**Author's note: Longest chapter so far, more than twice as long as my second longest. I use some of the Japanese words in this because I don't feel it gives the same impact in English. Some of it doesn't sound right either. You don't often hear people refer to older friends as older brother in English or vice versa so I didn't want to put it in here. There will be a few timeskips coming next chapter so we will be starting the main storyline soon.  
**_

_**Remember to review, I'd like to know how well I did with this chapter and thanks for reading.**_


	7. The Times, They Are a Changin'

_Chapter 6 - The Times, They Are a Changin'_

_'Thinking'_

_**'Mind talking'  
**_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, books, TV-shows or games.

* * *

A Couple of Months Later - Home

Waking up at 6:00 in the morning for work, I started grumbling about early mornings. _'Bloody Mondays. I guess I should be happy I don't have to work on the weekends. It's good work, but since I'm so good at forging weapons already, he just lets me serve the customers. I guess he loves to forge. The upside of working there is that I get to use the forge whenever I want. Helps with my little side project.'_

After getting out of bed, I grabbed something to eat, already fully awake. After another morning without my precious Nutella fix, I showered, brushed my teeth, got dressed in my work clothes and sat down on my couch for a few minutes until I left. Looking over at my Chuunin vest and forehead protector, I thought about the last couple of months. _'Becoming a Chuunin. That new ability of mine wasn't too bad either.'_ Thinking back to the morning after I received the notification,I chuckled.

"I could have used that the day before."

* * *

Two Months Ago

Waking up, I checked the new ability. 'Congratulations! You have activated the ability - Fireteam! This is simply put, the ability to create up to three duplicates of yourself! I think you can guess why it's called Fireteam! Your duplicates will be exact replicas of yourself. They will be able to take just as much punishment as you and can use all of your powers. While the duplicates are out, you will have a wireless connection to them since the wavelength of your brain will be the same. Kinda like the way I could read your mind! The duplicates will always be the same ones. Once you give them their callsign, every time you call them out, they will remember which one they are. In time, your clones may develop different personalities but I doubt they'll differ much from yourself. When you recall them, you will regain all of their memories, skills and experiences.

While the duplicates can be killed without any harm befalling you, If you are killed, all duplicates will disappear. Since they will be different entities from you, don't keep sending them off to die, they'll probably start to hold a strong dislike to you. There are many possibilities to this ability, but I'll leave you to figure them out. Seeya!'

I tried out the new ability. Focusing on what I wanted to happen, there were three small pops and I was looking at three identical me's standing in a horizontal line in front of me. It's unnerving looking at yourself standing next to another two you's in front of you. I could feel their thoughts. They knew everything I did and could do anything I could. Focusing at the one directly in front of me, I asked him what his name was.

"Hiruma Shin. Same as you dumbass."

"I didn't peg myself for a self deprecating person. Calling yourself a dumbass can't be healthy."

"Whatever. We'll need different names then won't we?"

"I already knew that. We are the same. Fine. Just for now, since I can't be arsed to think up new names, from your left to right will be Shin 1, Shin 2, and Shin 3. I will be Shin Alpha. I'll give you separate names when I can be bothered."

"Whatever. Can we go now since we're not doing anything?"

"Sure." I re-summoned them. _'That was weird. Now I have three loads of extra memories. I hope I don't go schizo from this.'_

I sighed._ 'I could have used them yesterday. Fighting four ninjas would have been easier if it was one on one. Well, I don't have work till tomorrow. I'll sleep in.'_

* * *

Present Day

_'At least I have it now. Helps with work anyway. Never got my hands full when I have three extra pairs at the ready. I doubt they like it so much given their personalities.'_

* * *

One Week Ago  


I stood with my duplicates on one of the training grounds.

"Finally. I can fully shapeshift myself into anybody or any animal I wish."

"Are you gonna give us names now?" They probably already knew the answer to that.

"Of course. As you know, I have decided to merge and lock my duplication ability with the shapeshifting ability. You three will shapeshift into the three characters I have chosen and will become them. It'll make for a lot of entertainment."** _'Get started then!' _**

**'Yeah yeah'** The three shapeshifted into some familiar faces.

"Nice. Now just for the record, state your names."

The man dressed all in black, even wore black sunglasses, stepped forwards. "I am Albert Wesker. It would be best to change my name to something more suitable for the surroundings."

"I agree. You will be Yami. It means darkness. It suits you and your personality. Next."

The one dressed in a blue leather trench coat, black shirt and trousers and brown boots, stepped forward. Slicking back his medium length white hair, he answered.

"If you insist. I am Vergil. My name in this world shall be, Jisei."

"Meaning self-control. Fitting. I'll forge you a sword exactly the same as the one you should have soon."

"It is of no consequence. I will be able to slay any enemy with even a rusted katana."

"Very, nice. You sound just like him. Last one, same again."

A man, dressed in a brown, thigh length leather trench coat, black trousers, wore a grey scarf, brown fedora and mask stepped forwards.

"Name, Rorschach. Would prefer to keep it."

Watching the inkblots shifting on his mask, I had a name. "That won't be possible. You shall be known as Kinkou."

"Equilibrium. Could be worse."

Suddenly, the black hole that left me here, opened up behind me. Knowing I couldn't do anything about it, I re-summoned my duplicates _'I probably can't call them that anymore since they're not much like me now', _and jumped into it.

Waking up back in the white room, this time lit and fully clothed, I stood up and asked why I was brought back here.

"I've been watching you and I have decided to give you a nice surprise." The disembodied voice coming from the wall asked me.

"What is it?"

"When I saw what you were planning with your duplicates, I started thinking. Long story short, if you so wish, I can alter each duplicate to be able to use most of the powers from the characters they were based off. I'll probably make Kinkou a lot better though or he'll be laughably weak compared to the rest of you. I'll also make it so that they hold the real personalities of them, with your memories of course. Even with their different personalities, they will do what you tell them."

"So basically, you are willing, and able, to grant Yami the abilities of super speed, strength, reaction time and regeneration he had, Jisei the sword skills and devil powers he had and make an already awesome Kinkou even better?"

"Yes. You will be stronger than any of them with their powers so I will technically be weakening them. Except for Kinkou of course. The downside to this is that I will have to remove the ability to receive skills and experiences when you recall them from you. I will leave the mind link and memories intact. Are you alright with that?"

"Of course. Since I'm already so strong and only getting stronger, this'll be something I want to see. I probably would go schizo with four different personalities knocking about in my head. One second." I summoned my - _'I'll just call them my Fireteam instead now' _- Fireteam, and asked their opinions.

Yami seemed to be alright with it. "I am already strong. Being able to fight with my preferred martial arts style will be much better."

Jisei was pleased with the turn of events. "I will gain my devil powers and sword skills again will I?"

"Yes you will."

"Then I wish to proceed."

Kinkou was impossible to read due to his ever shifting mask, but I assume he was happy with it by his reaction. "Becoming stronger will allow me to eradicate the filth that stains this world. I accept."

"Then that's that. I shall render you all unconscious and when I have finished, I will send you back at the exact time you left, with your new powers. Shin?"

"Yes?"

"I will have to knock you out as well. I can't have you seeing what I do here."

"Really?"

"Yes. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." He knocked my Fireteam and I out somehow, and we immediately fell unconscious.

* * *

Training Ground

I woke up alone on the training ground. Judging by the location of the sun, only an hour had passed. I summoned my Fireteam and asked them to test out their abilities.

Yami adjusted his gloves. Moving so fast it would seem like teleporting, he dashed to the nearest tree and annihilated it with a single punch. The tree trunk simply shattered and send slivers of bark fly in all directions. "I seem to be in my correct condition. Maybe even stronger."

Jisei went next. Summoning his sheathed sword into his left hand, he crouched down low and settled into an Iaido stance. Hovering his right hand just above his sword handle, faster than even I could see, unsheathed his sword and had it sheathed again. The instant this happened, an obsidian coloured sphere appeared around a tree with a peculiar sound. I heard several slashes come from the sphere and when it disappeared after a second, the tree trunk that was encased had been completely sliced apart into pieces. "I am able to perform my judgement cut adequately."

Kinkou simply stood there. "No need to test it. I am stronger. Can feel it."

"Good. For now, we will return home. I will anyway. Works in the morning." I re-summoned them and left.

* * *

Present day

_'Better get going. I think the Uchiha massacre will happen early next year. I will have to come to a decision on how best to deal with that.'_

I looked at the wall separating my room and Naruto's, or more specifically, the door I had personally installed. _'We've only gotten closer since then. I'll probably end up adopting him at this rate. I should give him a little wake-up call soon so he isn't late for academy.' _Summoning Kinkou, I told him to wake Naruto up at 7:30. "I'll let you decide how to go about it."

"Better this than work. I'll make sure he wakes up. Ice water is very, bracing."

I stifled a laugh at the prospect of Kinkou waking up a 7 year old boy for school with the bucket of ice cold water trick.

"That'll definitely wake him up. Seeya."

"Bye."

I left for work and just after locking the door, Itachi arrived behind me. "The Hokage has a mission for you."

"Great." _**'Kinkou. We have a mission.' **_

_**'Good.'**_

I re-summoned him. _'I guess Naruto will have to wake up the old fashioned way then.'_

I made my way to the Hokage's office pretty quickly. I knocked on the door. "Please, come in." I walked inside and closed the door behind me.

"Hello Himura-san. I'm sorry for asking you here so early."

"It's no problem. I was on my way to work anyway. What's the mission?"

"This will be a first for you, rank and objective."

I perked up at this.

"You have been only given D and C ranked missions since becoming a Konoha ninja. I am assigning you your first B-rank mission. You will be allowed to turn it down if you want to."

"Why would I want to?"

"The mission is an assassination. The only beings you have been assigned to kill so far are wild animals causing trouble. You could say this is the same."

"I would like to know the details before deciding."

"Of course. The person who contacted us is a higher up in the village of Yugakure. If you know your geography, you will know it lies in the Land of Hot Water to the northeast of us. We have been contracted to take down a group of unknown hostiles who have been terrorizing the village. The group, numbering no less than 20 at last count, have assaulted, stolen from and on several occasions, killed villagers. Yugakure used to be a Hidden Village but decided to become a peaceful village, therefore they have no shinobi forces. You will meet a friend of the person who contracted us at the restaurant next to the bathhouse. There's only one bathhouse there so it'll be easy to find. He'll be sitting in the furthermost corner wearing a straw hat. His name is Takahiro. He will be there from 9 to 11 each day for the next week. Upon completion of the mission, you will receive a reward of 125,000 ryo with the other 745,000 going to Konoha."

"Do we know the level of the ninja?"

"Unfortunately not, although it is very unlikely that there will be any enemies above a B-rank danger. In the event the forces prove to be more formidable then previously assumed, you will be allowed to make a judgment call on whether or not to continue."

I though about it. Not for very long though.

"I accept the mission. A first kill isn't something that should be taken lightly but I believe I will be able to handle it. Even if it is followed by another 19 in quick succession."

"Good. You will leave as soon as possible. At your speed, it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours to make it there. Don't tire yourself out or you may be vulnerable to enemy attack."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I shall leave immediately." I exited the building and made my way quickly back home.

* * *

Opening the door, I quickly grabbed my mask and coat. It was near the Land of Frost so it might get a little chilly. Chucking them in my backpack with some food and water, I decided to wake Naruto up a little early.

Grabbing some cold water in a glass, I opened the door between our rooms, edged quietly over to him and poured it over his head.

He shot straight up. "W-What the hell? That's freezing!" He quickly dried himself off with his blanket and asked me why I did that.

"I was just making sure you weren't late for academy again."

"It's only 7:00! I don't get up for another half an hour!"

"You don't get up at all Otouto."

Naruto still looked a little annoyed.

"Look Naruto, the Hokage's given me a B-rank mission to kill a right bunch of dental flossers. I'll be gone a day or two depending on how it goes."

"Dental flossers?"

"Tossers."

"Right. A B-rank? You haven't done anything that high before."

"Yeah but the Hokage finally gave me one. Now, I've gotta piss off up to Yugakure so I'll see you when I see you."

"See you later nii-san."

"Seeya."

* * *

Leaving back through my door, I made my way to the main gate. The usual suspects were on gate duty.

"What's up Izumo, Kotetsu?"

"Nothing much. More gate duty. I hate it." Izumo never seemed to like it.

"It's easy at least." Kotetsu had a different opinion to his work.

"Where are you going anyway?"

"I've got a B-rank mission to Yugakure."

"A B-rank huh. First one isn't it."

"Yeah. It shouldn't take me too long."

"Don't underestimate it. The higher rank a mission is, the more likely it is to go wrong."

"Well I guess it's lucky I'm so good then isn't it?"

"Yeah yeah. Just sign out and be on your way."

Signing out, I waved to the two gatekeepers and started walking. _'Should I run or fly? I'll run. I can't fly as fast as I can run. I'll have to take a rest when I get there though or I'll be fucking buggered. I'll have at their bathhouse before I meet him. Should perk me right up.'_

Starting off at a slow jog, I picked up speed. 50mph, 80mph, 120mph, 160mph, the wind was whipping at my face. 200mph, 250mph, I topped out at 300mph and kept that speed up until I made it to Yugakure. It took me just under an hour and a half to make it there. _'Fuck I'm barb wired right now. I'm going straight to a bath house and I'm staying for at least an hour. I should have listened to the old codger. At least it's not too cold, I can leave my coat and mask in the bag."  
_

Walking to the nearest bathhouse, I entered, payed the man and got my kit off. Entering the hot spring, I lowered myself into the water. _'God this is hot!' _Settling myself down, I noticed it was quite empty. _'Everyone's probably too scared to go out. I'll meet this Takahiro dude soon. First, I'm gonna rest my muscles.' _Going to sleep for an hour, I woke up feeling very refreshed.

_'Right. Better get going then.' _I stood up and wobbly, walked out of the hot spring. _'Maybe I stayed in a little too long.' _Getting dressed, I thanked the owner and left for the restaurant next door.

Walking into the almost empty restaurant, it didn't take me long to find the straw hat wearing Takahiro. I ordered something to eat at the bar and sat down in front of him.

"What the fuck!?" He practically fell off his chair.

"Sorry." I probably should have got his attention before just plopping myself down in front of him. "I'm the guy sent to deal with your friends pest problem."

"Thank god. I thought you were one of those thugs going to rough me up."

"I'll try not to take it personally. Do you know where they are currently located?"

"I think that they are still camped out about a mile north north-east from the north exit."

"Where should I meet you to inform you of completion? Here again?"

"Yes. I'll be here at the same time for the next few days."

"I'll leave now then. By now, I mean after I've finished my meal."

Eating my meal, I paid and left. I made my way to the north exit and set an internal marker for one mile north north-west. Jogging most of the way, I stopped a couple of hundred meters from the camp. I could hear the enemies chatting and laughing from here. I summoned my Fireteam.

**_'Right. Yami, Jisei and Kinkou, you know what we're gonna do. I will scout ahead and determine the threat level. Once I've returned, I'll assign each of you a set number of enemies to take down each. I'll take out the stronger ones. You will take out the rest. Alright?'_**

A chorus of yes's came through. I shifted into a fox and silently made my way to the camp.

"Those cowards don't even bother fighting back! It's amazing! I've never had an easier time in my life!"

"Yeah! I was beating on this old dude last night and he was all 'Please, don't hurt me!' God I hate those pussies!"

At a clearing, I could see a total of 28 enemies. They were sitting around a campfire, eating a wild boar they'd caught. From the looks of them, most of them were just bandits but a few seemed to be missing-nin. I couldn't see the symbol on their forehead protectors as they had been almost completely scratched off. I would take on those two and leave the rest for my team.

Slinking back to the three, I shifted back into my regular form.

_**'There are twenty eight hostiles. Two of them are missing-nin. I will take on those two and you three will take on the other 26. I'll leave you to decide how many each of you get. We will simply use shock and awe tactics. Blast in, start killing and take them all down. I'll tell you when to go. We will have this wrapped up in minutes. Make your ways to the north, east and west sides of the camp. I'll take the south side.'**_

Once we'd arrived at out respective positions, I told them to mark their targets. _**'We're going in 5,4,3,2,1, NOW!'**_

Bursting through the canopy, hell descended on the enemies. I was moving at considerable speed to the two ninja and launched a kick that cut through the air. The two ninja had good enough reflexes to dodge my first attack but my second one, not so much. Both the ninja had jumped either side of me and had drawn their kunai. Both of them launched their kunai at me and started to make handsigns. I dodged the kunai and shifting to full speed, launched at the ninja to my right with a lariat. I completely decapitated him. His lifeless body collapsed to the floor and as I was being covered in his blood, I heard the other ninja behind me finish his jutsu.

"Doton: Tobi Tsubute!" He smacked his hands to the ground and hundreds of rocks came flying right at me.

"You'll have to do better than that." I picked up the body of his fallen compatriot and held it in front of me as a shield. Running forwards, I threw the body at him. As he moved to the side, I performed a side kick directly to his abdomen. With the amount of force I put in, I crushed his internal organs and sent him flying away into a tree.

With both of the ninja out of the game, I checked to see how the rest were faring. Yami had his fist burying in the chest of his last opponent, Jisei had finished cutting up his and Kinkou was walking to the last remaining enemy.

"Please, don't kill me! I'll do whatever you want!"

"Anything?" Kinkou asked.

"Anything! Just please don't kill me!"

"Very well, Die." Kinkou grabbed the man and slammed his head repeatedly into the ground until his face was unrecognisable.

I looked at Kinkou with a raised eyebrow.

"Didn't deserve mercy. Death is the punishment."

I cut the overflowing adrenaline. It was threatening to overpower me and cause me to vomit. I wouldn't let it.

I checked the missing-nins forehead protectors more closely. **_'Iwa shinobi. Should have been evident from the Earth attacks. Wonder if they have a bounty._'**

Yamato replied. **_I'll remove that one's head. You'll have to fetch the other one. Wrap them in bandages and bag them. We'll take them back to Konoha.'_**

**_'I wish I had chakra now. I could just seal them in scrolls. Now I'll have to carry two heads with me back to Konoha.'_**

After we bandaged and bagged the heads, I put them in my backpack. I called over to the Team. "Let's make our way back together. I'd rather not get everyone's memories back right now." I was dealing with my first kill right now and would rather not receive memories of 26 others being decimated by my Fireteams hands.

"Of course."

"First kill the hardest. They deserved worse. It gets easier." At least Kinkou was being supportive.

"Thanks. Let's head back to the bathhouse. I need to get this crap off me and rest. We'll stay in a hotel tonight and meet Takahiro tomorrow morning."

We started walking back to the village. Making my way to the bathhouse again, I paid the owner for four of us, walked past his shocked face, got changed and walked straight into the hot spring. I closed my eyes. _'God. this sucks major balls. I'll get over it. Wait, it's only 10:45, I could make it to the restaurant and inform him I've completed the mission now!' _Informing the rest, I jumped up, got dressed and shot out of the bathhouse, still wet. Going into the restaurant drying my hair with a towel I accidentally ran out with, I sat down in front of him.

"You're back already?"

"Yeah. I was just in the bathhouse for a couple of minutes before I noticed the time. Might as well get it over with."

"Do you have proof?"

"I have the heads of two missing-nin in my backpack and the other 26 are dead in their camp. If you want the proof, go there yourself."

"No no, it's alright. Who are your friends?"

"My team. This is Yami, Jisei and Kinkou."

"Unusual names. Hello."

They stood in silence.

"They're the strong silent types. Anyway, I'll head off now. Send the payment to Konoha as soon as possible."

"Alright. I'll inform my friend and he'll be sure to pay Konoha for a job well done. Way faster than expected."

"I aim to please. I'll be going now. If you need anything else, you know what to do."

"Bye."

I walked out of the restaurant and made my way to the south exit. "No time like the present. I'll re-summon you now."

Upon receiving their memories, I felt a little queasy at the brutality of their kills. Yami had ripped them apart with a combination of martial arts, augmented strength and incredible speed. They couldn't touch him. Jisei had just sliced them apart and had killed them all within seconds. Kinkou, he was practically a demon. Fighting practically on a mix between pure instinct and incredibly skill. He was ruthless. Taking each one apart systematically, he used the entire terrain to his advantage. Dodging punches while standing in front of trees to damage their hands, throwing soil into their eyes to disorientate them, he even ran a stick he found through one of their eyes. I'm sure he could have defeated them with just pure strength but he preferred his usual fighting style. Always increase your advantage.

I dealt with my queasiness and started running. I ran slightly slower this time and it took me two and a half hours to make in back.

"Back so soon?"

"Lemon squeezy mate. Didn't even take me 10 minutes to complete it."

"Well sign in and report to the Hokage."

After signing in, I made my way to the Hokage's office. Knocking on the door, I waited for an answer.

"Come in."

I walked in and the Hokage looked at me.

"Himura-san. Shouldn't you have left," He looked at his clock, "5 hours ago?"

"I did. I'm here to inform you of the completion of my mission."

"Already?"

"It took me barely ten minutes to complete. You should receive payment soon."

"Tell me what happened."

I relayed the events of the past 5 hours to the Hokage and when I finished, he asked to see the heads I had brought.

"I'll check if they're in the bingo books."

Taking the heads out and unwrapping them, he checked the book and informed me they were both C-rank missing-nin from Iwa. There is only a small bounty since they were not brought in alive but I'll send the payment to you as soon as possible." He asked to see my Fireteam.

"You never told me about them."

"You never asked. I don't usually tell people about myself unless they ask for info."

I summoned the three.

"Well. What are your names?"

"Yami."

"Jisei."

"Kinkou."

"Interesting mask there Kinkou. Where did you get it?"

"This is my true face."

"An interesting team you have Shin."

"They are all near to my strength level. None of them have chakra but they have different abilities."

"We'll have to talk about this some other time. When I receive payment, I will sent your cut to your home. I've told Miyamoto you will not be working until you got back from your mission."

"Just tell him I'll be back tomorrow. I need some rest."

"I'll inform him later. I never thanked you for the advice on paperwork did I?"

"It's no problem. I don't know why nobody thought about it before. Goodbye Hokage-sama."

"Goodbye Himura-san."

Leaving the office, I made my way back home.

* * *

Two And a Half Months Later - 10th of October - Home

Waking up early, I opened my door to make sure everyone was here. "Come in, we'll wake him up in a minute. He's a heavy sleeper so we'll be able to work around him."

The group of us crept silently into Naruto's room. After 30 minutes, we had set everything up. "I'll wake him."

Walking over to his bed, I gently shook his shoulders. "Naruto, Naruto, NARUTO! WAKE UP!"

"What the hell's going on?!" He was blearily eyed and couldn't see anything.

Everybody at the same time shouted, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO!"

"Wha'? What's going on?"

"It's your birthday Naruto. I know you never really celebrated it since it's been rough for you but I gathered your friends to help set this up for you."

"Don't I have academy today?"

"Yeah but if they bother coming to get you, I'll tell them to bugger off. A few of your other friends skipped just for you anyway so you better enjoy it."

Naruto looked around at everyone's faces. He looked at the pile of presents in the corner. He looked like he was about to cry.

"Thanks nii-san. I've never had anyone do this for me. Thanks you guys!"

Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Hinata - which had took some time to convince her father to let her go -, and even Iruka had come. He got someone to cover for him.

Naruto leaned into my ear. "I know everyone here except for the girl. I know she's in my class but I don't really know her. Who is she?"

"Her name is Hinata. She never really talked with anybody because she's too shy. You should go and talk to her."

"Sure." He walked straight over to Hinata. She looked like she was about to faint already. "Yo, I'm Uzumaki Naruto! What's your name?"

She barely peeped out "Hyuuga Hinata" before turning bright red and fainting.

"Is she alright?!" Naruto caught her.

I took her and lay her down on Naruto's bed. "Yeah, I told you, she's just shy. We'll wake her up in a minute when you open your presents."

After some socialising, I woke up Hinata. She must have realized she fainted because she started apoligizing. "I'm sorry Naruto! I'll leave if you want me to. I don't want to ruin your birthday." Naruto looked surprised

"Don't be silly! Stay as long as you like. You can stay on the bed if you think you might faint again."

Hinata looked down and upon noticing she was in Naruto's bed, almost fainted again. I stopped her luckily.

"Hinata, we'll be opening the presents in a second, it'd be unfortunate if you missed it. It's his first real birthday after all."

"Yes Hiruma-san."

"Just call me Shin. Or Shin-san if you must."

"Alright, Shin-san."

After pulling herself back together, I clapped my hands. "Alright, time to open your presents Naruto!"

"Yes!"

"Shikamaru, you can go first."

"Here you go Naruto." He handed Naruto a small present.

Opening the present, Naruto had gotten a beginners Shogi set.

"I don't know if you're into it but if you are, you have a set now."

"Thanks Shika."

Choji went next. He handed Naruto a small envelope.

When Naruto opened it, he found some coupons for free barbecue at the Akimichi's barbecue restaurant.

"Thanks Choji, I'll pop over sometime."

Kiba gave his present next. When Naruto opened it, there were coupons for Ichiraku Ramen.

"Thanks Kiba, I love that place."

"I know, I couldn't think of anything else to get you anyway."

"Here you go Naruto-san." Hinata passed him a present.

Unwrapping it, there was a traditional black yukata with orange trimmings.

"I know you like orange so I got this one specifically made for you."

Naruto hugged Hinata. "Thanks Hina-chan!"

Hinata almost fainted until I stopped her again. She still went bright red though.

"What did you get me Iruka-sensei?"

"Open it and find out!"

Unwrapping the present, Naruto found a book.

"A book? I hate reading!"

"You'll like this one, it's a book with taijutsu techniques."

"We can try them out sometime Naruto. Here's mine Naruto."

He opened the present and it held a wooden box. Opening it, he found three beautifully crafted kunai with Uzumaki spirals decorating the handles.

"They're awesome! Where did you get them?"

"I made them myself. I'm pretty good at that you know. They should last years as long as you take care of them, even with a lot of use."

"I'll take good care of them!"

"One last present Naruto. It took me calling in a favour from the Hokage but, here, read this."

I handed him two scrolls. Opening the first one, it was a deed to property. "That's for a house I bought not too far from here. If you read the second scroll, you'll see why."

When he opened the second scroll, he started to tear up. "Is this real?"

"Of course. Do you really think I'd draw up a fake adoption form? There are some differences in that so I won't be your father but your brother. I'm too young to be your father Naruto."

He hugged me even harder then he did the last time he was this happy. I felt my stomach become damp. He must have been crying immensely.

"Thank you nii-san. I've never had a family before."

"Well you do now. You'll keep your name though. A name isn't something to be discarded." _'The Uzumaki's were an actual clan anyway.'_

Naruto let go of me and dried his eyes.

"Well that's enough of that mushy crap. Let's not waste the rest of the party! Naruto, you've got your work cut out for you now. My birthday is on the 20th so you've got ten days to get me something."

"Crap! Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask. Besides, I'm telling you now ain't I?"

"Not leaving much time though."

We got back to the party, ate, laughed and by the time everyone had left, it was 17:00.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll move into the new house tomorrow. Pack everything you want to take tonight."

"Sure." He was tired.

"You know what, get some sleep. We'll do it tomorrow morning."

"Sure." He flopped down on his bed and started snoring.

_'It's been a draining day for him, emotionally mostly. I'll take my stuff over now and help him with his tomorrow. It's lucky my team is really just me so I get more money from the missions. Helps with the bills. I'll finish with the work at Miyamoto soon. I'll find him a replacement apprentice. Someone who has a lot more interest than me.'_

I left for my room, packed and left.

* * *

Late February, Outside The Uchiha Clan District  


_'It is tonight. I've made my choice and I will follow it through unto completion. The Uchiha clan massacre will go forward.'_

* * *

_**Author's note: So, new place, new team, new powers. What do you think of the new crap? What will happen at the Uchiha's clan district? Not much else to say except read and review.  
**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_


	8. Death God's Gonna Cut You Down

_Chapter 7 - Death God's Gonna Cut You Down  
_

_'Thinking'_

_**'Mind talking'**_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, books, TV-shows or games.

* * *

Outside The Uchiha Clan District

There was at most, half an hour until the massacre began. I had made my decision not too stop the Uchiha massacre. It was for a good reason in my opinion anyway. The Uchiha's were planning a coup d'état. That could not happen. While I could have delayed the plan to allow the Hokage more time to talk, I doubt it would go anywhere but give them more time to attempt it. That doesn't mean I wouldn't change anything though. With my new weapon I forged through a very long and arduous process, I shifted into a crow. It would blend in and I doubt Itachi would think twice about it. Nor the other party.

Perched upon the power lines, I waited. Not too long later, it started. Itachi, wearing his usual ANBU suit without the mask, jumped right in the middle of the district and started slaughtering everyone with his accomplice making sure nobody escaped. Itachi truly was a prodigy. Not even any of the Uchiha who had unlocked the sharingan stood a chance. He was cutting everyone down before they had time to scream. After he had mercilessly butchered everyone but his parents, I saw Itachi crouch down on the utility pole near the entrance of the clan, watching Sasuke return home. Sasuke stopped. Itachi disappeared. _'If I want to change it I have to move now._' Flying to the ceiling of his parents room, I shifted back into my regular form, slowed my breathing and heart rate and waited in the rafters, unseen and unheard. Itachi entered and closed the doors. Fugaku and Mikoto were kneeling, resigned to their fates.

Fugaku spoke. "I see. So you have aligned yourself with the Leaf?"

"Father, Mother, I-"

"We know, Itachi."

"Promise me this Itachi. Take care of Sasuke."

Itachi's started to weep. His voice trembled, "I will." The sword in his hand shook.

"Do not fear, this is the path you have chosen. Our pain will last but an instant, unlike yours. Even though the way we think is different, know that I am still and always will be proud of you. You really are gentle." Itachi was clutching his sword hilt close to his chest as he tried to stop the tears flowing from his eyes.

"Thank you Father, Thank you Mother."

"Goodbye my son."

Itachi raised his sword, and swung it in order to decapitate them quickly. Itachi had just finished decapitating his father when I dropped down, grabbed Itachi's wrist and at the same moment, struck Mikoto on the back of her neck with my other hand, rendering her unconscious.

Itachi was to stunned to react. "S-Shin?"

"Shin now is it, you really have warmed up to me."

Itachi attempted to use Tsukuyomi on me. "What? Why isn't it working?"

"You're a genius, figure it out."

"Your chakra..."

"Or lack thereof. Genjutsu controls the flow of chakra in the brain. You can't control what isn't there. Genjutsu is useless against me." I let go of his wrist.

"Itachi, I know everything. I know how you plan to save Sasuke by forcing him to live on through hate of you. It will work. He will live. He will become strong. The cost? He will eventually find out and when he does, what do you think will happen? Do you think he'll just say 'Oh it's alright! The Uchiha's were naughty so they should have been punished!'? No. He will make it his life's work to destroy Konoha and everyone in it. After all, Konoha forced his brother to kill his entire family and forced him to kill the only family he had left."

"He doesn't have to find out. I'll have made sure he will never be told by the higher ups by keeping my end of the bargain."

"Aside from me and the higher ups, who else knows hmm? The other Uchiha who helped you, that's who. He will tell Sasuke eventually to further his own agenda."

"No way. We have a deal." Itachi was starting to feel panic.

"Deal, deal, deal. Deals can be broken and will. As a ninja, you should know that nobody ever is 100% truthful."

"By definition, that means you too."

"Of course. It would be hypocritical of me to state otherwise. I can tell you I am telling the truth now and it is your decision whether or not to believe me."

I heard Sasuke entering the house. Summoning Jisei, I told him to hold the doors. "All right."

He walked to the doors and held the handles closed.

"Itachi. You have been forced to do things no person your age should have done. You were in a war encompassing the entire shinobi world at only four and have been forced to murder almost your entire clan at thirteen. This should never have been asked of you."

Sasuke started trying to open the door.

"Itachi. You must listen to me. If you want a better fate for Sasuke you must do as I say. I want you to write a note and hand it to your mother telling her to mention nothing of the Uchiha's plan of betrayal or your participation in it's downfall. When Sasuke comes in in a moment, he will find out that it was you who did it and you can still tell him it's because you wanted to test your 'capacity', if you wish. If I am able to, I would like for this to end with you eventually returning home and living with Sasuke as brothers again. I don't know how likely it is to happen but I would do everything in my power to make it so. Tell me where you would usually meet with Danzo and I will meet with him, disguised as you and change the deal to include Mikoto. Her influence will help guide Sasuke to strive for power, not through hatred but the way true strength is brought out. A desire to protect."

"Mom! Dad! What's happening? Everyone's dead!" He was banging on the doors now.

"Trust me Itachi! You have known me for most a year but you should know me well enough to know that I harbour no desire to lead you astray. Do it now!"

I shifted back into a crow and flew back up to the rafters. _**'Jisei! Open the doors!"**_

As he opened them, I re-summoned him.

Sasuke fell forward to the floor. His eyes rested on the dead body of his father and the seemingly same body of his mother. "Dad! Mom!"

Itachi stepped into the light.

"Aniki! Mom and Dad were... Why? Why? Who did this?" A shuriken cut past his shoulder. His shirt ripped and a sliver of blood spurted out.

"Aniki? What are you...?" He looked on in shock. "What are you doing?"

"Foolish little brother." He activated the Tsukuyomi and showed Sasuke what happened. For 72 hours. As Sasuke was forced to bear witness to the massacre of his clan, Itachi deactivated his sharingan.

Sasuke was drooling on the floor but as his eyes refocused on his parents bodies and the pool of the blood he was laying in, he asked Itachi why.

"To see what I was capable of."

"What you were capable of? That was it? You killed everyone for that reason?"

"It is important."

"What the hell! Don't screw around!" He became enraged and made a beeline for Itachi. As he reached him, Itachi landed a fist in his gut. Sasuke crumpled to the floor. He raised his head and noticed his mother was still breathing. "M-Mom?"

Itachi stepped in front of him. Sasuke got up and fled the room. "Don't kill me!"

I followed him in the air. He ran into the street. Itachi was already in front of him. "Please! Don't kill me!"

"You are not worth killing. You are weak. You fled even though your own mother was still alive. You didn't even try to protect her."

"But you're too strong!"

"You didn't even try." He repeated. "That, is why you are weak. You valued your own life over the ones that you love and are loved by."

Itachi walked past his frozen brother. "Goodbye, foolish little brother." Itachi disappeared. Sasuke dropped to his knees and wailed.

* * *

I flew to Itachi and shifted back. "Good work. He will grow to become strong now. Tell me, where would you meet Danzo?"

"We planned to meet after, for me to inform him of the completion. He'd find out anyway after, but I believe he wanted to be able to prepare himself for the upcoming uproar. Our meeting point was at the memorial stone in fifteen minutes. I planned to see the Hokage and the advisers to ask them to watch over Sasuke. I guess you can do that now."

"You way as well leave now then. I will meet Danzo and alter the deal slightly. I am sure I can convince him. I'll meet with the Hokage tomorrow and inform him. It will be a while before me meet again but if you are even in any need of assistance, you can trust me. I will never betray a friend."

"Thank you Shin." A single tear ran down his face as he turned, walked away and faded into the darkness.

"So who are you then?"

I looked up and saw a familiar orange mask.

"Just a friend of Itachi's. Why?"

"I can't let you leave knowing the truth."

I pulled out my new weapon. A short and relatively quiet crack was heard, and the side of his mask was split.

"What the hell was that. All I could see was a small projectile coming at me so fast even I couldn't dodge."

"This, is my pet project. Nothing like it in this world. This is my custom M1911 .45 handgun. You've probably never heard of it." Placing my silenced pistol back into the holster, I kept my eyes on him. "I will not breathe a word of anything that happened here, Uchiha."

He growled, "How do you know?"

"I know a lot. I can tell you I won't tell anyone your little secrets unless you don't piss off back to whatever rock you crawled out of. Mark my words." _'I actually managed to put a little reference to his actual identity in there. I wonder if he noticed.'_

"Very well. I will believe you. For now anyway." _'I guess not.'_

"Thank you. Now if you don't mind, I have an appointment to keep with a certain man."

He disappeared in a vortex originating from his right eye.

Shifting into a carbon copy of Itachi, sharingan and all, I made my way quickly to the memorial stone.

* * *

Memorial Stone

"Itachi. Is it done?"

"Yes. I have completed the mission with one exception. Mikoto Uchiha."

"Why have you spared your mother? You agreed to the terms."

"I believe that in the long run it will be beneficial. Sasuke, left unattended, would become a revenge driven twisted person. Having his mother to keep him in line will help him. I also know that she wasn't a strong advocator for the coup and only went through with it due to her love of her family. With them out of the picture, she will be loyal to Konoha."

"That doesn't change the fact that we had a deal." He called his ROOT to surround me.

"That wouldn't be wise Danzo-san. I doubt you would be able to take me down before I managed to let out at least a few of your dirty little secrets. Mainly what is under that bandage on your face for one."

"How do you know?"

"The thing about being a spy is you can't always control what you find out. For either side."

"Fine. I will keep an extra eye on her, forgive the pun, and if she proves loyal, she may live. I will let nothing jeopardize Konoha's safety."

"I understand. I must leave before I am spotted. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course. Go."

I moved quickly in the direction of the Konoha wall and upon leaving his, and his ROOT's view, I shifted into a fox and moved quickly home. _'I should inform the Hokage about some of the details tomorrow. It shall serve to be an awkward conversation."_

I opened my front door, went in, closed and locked it. After entering, I walked upstairs and past Naruto's room. He seemed to be sleeping soundly. I entered my room and slumped myself on my bed. Rolling on my side, I removed my holster, pistol still inside, and placed it on my desk. I summoned my team to ask their opinion on the events.

"I honestly don't care for what happens to insects that exist below myself."

"Wow Yami, you're a real ray of sunshine."

"You did the correct thing. The Uchiha's rebellion would have caused a civil way and destroyed countless lives. The village is more important than some petty clan. I like the pistol by the way. While I personally believe that a true warrior would not use such weapons, I can recognize good quality. It looks quite like my brother's Ebony, without the rail and compensator."

"Thank you. For the compliment as well. At least you had something productive to say. What about you Kinkou."

"The Uchiha's deserved it. Betrayal is the worst sin."

"I guess you're right. Thanks." Re-summoning them, I went to sleep, thinking about what I'd tell the Hokage tomorrow.

* * *

The Next Day

I woke up later than usual, due to my late night 'activities'. Grabbing my .45, I got dressed in my usual clothes with my coat and mask this time, _'it is winter, even if it doesn't seem to snow here,' _I left my house. I turned my head to look at my home. _'Not too bad. About the same size as where I used to live. Three bedroom, one bathroom, front room and kitchen. At least I have the dosh now to pay for it.' _I made my way to the Hokage's mansion. I walked past the receptionist telling her I had important information for the Hokage. Without waiting for approval, I knocked on the office door.

"Come in."

I entered the office and closed the door behind me. The Hokage was with his advisers. The Hokage looked weary.

"What is it Himura-san? There are matters that need dealing with urgently."

"I know. The massacre last night."

"Has word already traveled so far?"

"Hell if I know. I was there."

"What? Why were you there? When?"

"I was there at the end. I saved Mikoto Uchiha from Itachi. If it's no problem, can I talk about the rest alone?"

"No you may not Himura-san! We advisers are privileged to any information."

"Homura-san, Kotaru-san, please, leave us." He phrased it politely but it was quite obviously not a request.

"Of course Hokage-sama." They weren't amused. I watched them leave.

Once they had left, I turned back to the Hokage. "Could you put up silencing seals please?"

"Of course." He made a hand sign. "There you go. You may speak freely."

"Thank you. Listen all the way through before asking questions Hokage-sama. It'll go quicker. I spoke with Itachi after the massacre. I know him well. After all, he ferried me around this place when I first got here. Anyway, after he had taken out most of his clan, I found myself watching Itachi about to kill Fugaku and Mikoto. I managed to save Mikoto but Fugaku was dead. He got away and I met him again just outside the district. He told me why he did it. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about the Uchiha's desire to attempt a coup. Itachi did this because Danzo made a deal with him. Itachi's brother would be able to be saved if Itachi took out his entire clan in a pre-emptive strike. After the fact, Itachi told me he was to meet Danzo after to inform him and meant to meet you to ask you to watch over Sasuke and make sure Danzo keeps his hands off him. I made sure Danzo would allow Mikoto to live and keep Sasuke safe."

I looked the Hokage dead in the eyes. "I am going to tell you something that you must never mention to anybody. Ever. Even in death."

The Hokage contemplated for a few moments. "What is it?"

"What I told you is what I want you to work with. What I tell you now however, no decisions can be allowed to be made based on it."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen. Where I came from. You never really asked did you?"

"No. I believed that it may be a sore subject or you would have told us."

"Not too far from the truth. The truth is that it is an unbelievable tale. I'll spare you the details but the gist of it is that I hold a large quantity of knowledge of the past, present and _future _of many people and their villages."

"How could such a thing be possible?" _'At least he seems to be keeping an open mind.'_

"Where I came from isn't just a different village or a different country. It's a different world."

"A different world?"

"Yes. The whole experiment thing was truth. That's who transported me here. Where I come from, nobody has chakra. It doesn't exist. Since I knew of the past, present and future of a lot, I also knew of the Uchiha massacre beforehand. I believed it to be necessary and decided to watch and make sure Mikoto Uchiha survived for various reasons."

"Why should I believe you. How could I? What you're saying sounds completely impossible."

"I know. That's why I try to choose my words carefully. I tell the truth when I say that I do not wish to put Konoha in any danger. My true objective is simply to make this world at least a little better than it would be without my involvement. If you need any proof, I could tell you that I know about Naruto's heritage, who his Godfather is, why he isn't here, even where you keep said Godfathers little novels in this very room. As even more proof, I should say that Naruto's father was trained by said Godfather who was trained by yourself. You could ask me anything and I should know the answer. To an extent of course."

"Very well. You seem to know a lot of information. That much can be said. But the future? That, I am sure it fairly impossible, even for the greatest ninjas."

"I'll tell you how I know this information then. In my world, your world is simply a work of fiction, written in a popular manga. While you could feel that it means your entire lives are fake, I like to think of it that my world is a record keeping world. That's why in most of the crap on TV, they have no knowledge of other worlds."

"TV?"

"That isn't important right now. The point is, I read, or watched in my case, the story of the main character. Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto?"

"Yes. He is after all, the child of the prophecy. Naruto will become a student of his Godfathers in the future and most likely, bring peace to the shinobi world. How? I don't know yet. The records don't go that far yet."

"Where am I in this little 'manga' of yours then?" He seemed amused.

I put it bluntly. "Dead. Killed by your own student."

"My own student? Who?"

"Tsunade. Who d'ya think? Snake-face of course. Technically you topped yourself with the old shinigami soul trade thingy but the point is, he was in it to take you out and rule Konoha."

The Hokage slumped in his chair. He looked defeated. _'He must be starting to believe me.'_

"Say what you are saying is true. What are you going to do?"

"I plan to keep the timeline fairly close to canon while making some changes. You have already noticed one. Mikoto. I'd rather not explain everything or we'll be here for hours. You'll be glad to know that I plan to let you live to. You'll have to resign after the fact though and stay out of the picture to keep it relatively normal. Say it's due to old age and that you can't hold the title anymore. I already know who the successor will be. Anyway, the point is, if I change too much, what I know becomes useless and an even darker future may come to pass. I really will hold you to telling Naruto everything when he becomes a ninja you know."

"I know." He let out a big sigh. "This is a lot to think about."

"Well let me take your mind off it. This is my new creation." I took out my .45 and showed the Hokage.

"What's this?"

"It's something I made myself with knowledge from my world. I can't let any copies be made so I was wondering if you knew any seal masters around here."

"Not really, the only people who studied it are mostly wiped out and scattered. Jiraiya is the only one around these days."

"Whirlpool. It's a shame. Do you know when Jiraiya will be coming through next?"

"He usually comes and goes as the information does. He usually doesn't go longer than a few months without checking in though. Next time he's in, I'll contact you."

"Thank you. I'm gonna get back home now. I still have to work on my other little weapon to go with this one."

"I was meaning to ask, what does it do?"

"All I will say is that it causes projectiles to be ejected from the front very fast. The one I have is short range. I am working on a long range one."

"Well I won't pry. If anyone finds out, it's a clan technique and can only be taught by yourself to those you deem worthy."

"Thank you Hokage-sama."

"Don't worry. It's the least I can do for the help with the paperwork."

I left for home and decided to take Naruto to Ichiraku's. All on me. _'This'll hurt the wallet.'_

* * *

A Few Years Later, Naruto's 12th Birthday

"Happy birthday Naruto. This is quite the milestone for you. This year is the one you become a ninja."

"Thanks nii-san. I really mean it."

"I haven't bothered getting you a present. I'll get you one for when you become a ninja. It'll be a big surprise. The Hokage is even going to be there."

"But I failed the test the last two times. I can't keep failing like this."

"Life is full of screw-ups. You're supposed to fail sometimes. It's practically a requirement of being human. I believe you will make it this time. Your failings will become your strengths. Once you pass, you'll get a very interesting present."

"I'll definitely pass it this time then. I want to see what the present is! I can't wait!"

"Well you're going to have to. For now though, go to your friends houses and play with them. I've got a mission to do."

"What is it?"

"Another A-rank. I'm raking in tons of cash from these missions. I mainly get sent on assassinations due to my special skill set."

"I'm sure you won't be too long then will you?"

"Naa. Danzo may be a slave driver but he knows I work quickly and lets me have lots of time between missions."

"When are you going?"

"Soon as you piss off. I'll see you later."

"Bye." Naruto shot out the door, leaving to one of his several friends houses. _'I hope he isn't going to Kiba's again. Whenever he goes there, he rolls about with all the dogs and stinks the place up when he gets back.'_

I grabbed my replicated sniper rifle. Modeled after the L115A3, it was silenced and deadly. It of course wasn't silent, far from it, but the suppressor made it very difficult to find me by sound from such long distances. I had made it without a magazine, so the rounds would be hand fed. The bullets for my weapons were an unknown. I couldn't use gunpowder since it doesn't seem to exist here. Instead, I used improvised explosive tags which activated the same way. The upside is that all the bullets were easily controlled in creation, even if it did take a lot of trial and error.

I placed the entire rifle into my now seal ridden backpack. Jiraiya really came through on this.

* * *

A Month After The Massacre

The white haired Sannin looked very surprised at the information.

"Naruto is the child of prophecy. You came from another world. I died at the hands of Nagato. Is that about right?"

"Pretty much. I'm sure you can tell when someone is lying. Necessary in the information business. As a little thank you, would you be able to design a seal that doesn't require chakra to activate? I'm sure you understand. I need to be able to carry large items without having to tie them on my back and expose myself."

"Sure. I've looked into such a thing before but it was never needed. Everyone has some chakra so why bother. I'll make one for you as soon as possible."

"Thank you Jiraiya."

* * *

Present Day - Somewhere In Fire Country

Listening to an some Johnny Cash, I was walking through the forest to reach near my mission. I was tasked by Danzo to take out a man who was plotting to, in the end, take over as Fire Daimyo. While normally this wouldn't be so bad, this man was too opposed to the necessity of ninja forces. He would weaken Konoha to the point it could be invaded and nothing could be done to persuade him. Danzo decided on another form of persuasion. The kind that leaves you on the floor with a hole in your head. Luckily, his home was by itself, in a very large clearing. Probably to allow his guards to spot anybody coming from half a mile away. His walls, high as they may be, wouldn't save him now.

_'This'll be easy. At least I don't have Naruto's luck when it comes to missions. I'll be back home in an hour.'_

After a few of my 'unique' assassinations, I had started to be referred to as 'The Shinigami'. It is pretty nice to be known as 'The Death God'. It has a nice ring to it. I guess being able to kill someone from over a mile away gets your name around like that.

I made my way to the top of the hill and when I reached the opening, I was looking at the compound. _'High walls, guards and at least a mile between the compound and myself. I better get set up.'_

Moving back behind the tree, I crouched. Shapeshifting my body to give myself perfect camouflage, I took my rifle out of my pack. The seals simply made the bag bigger on the inside. I'm sure a certain Doctor could appreciate it. I attached the suppressor. I was a mile away. Laying down and placing the rifle on a bipod, I slid the bolt back. Removing a round from my pocket, I chambered it and slid the bolt seamlessly back into place. I shapeshifted my shoulder and arm to mold around the rifle. This was something I recently discovered. With this, the rifle was completely under my control. I could adjust the aim micrometers with this ability. I activated the aiming function on my sunglasses. I was fed information on humidity, wind speed and pressure, distance, speed of target and with all the information being correlated, a small point would appear in my view. That was where I should aim to hit the target.

I scanned the compound looking through my scope for the target. I saw a lot of guards, some neutral civilians but I eventually found my target. In my cross-hairs, I saw he was eating some lunch in his room. He left the window open for some fresh air. _'Thanks for that'._ I slowed my heartbeat and breathing until they were almost non-existent. Adjusting the scope to account for distance, my aim was completely still. I aimed at a point just to his side to compensate for wind speed.

I waited for my heartbeat to pass. The moment after my heart beat one more time, I slowly let out a breath. Squeezing the trigger, I fired. A crack resounded. I felt the recoil through my body. Still watching through the scope, barely three seconds later, I watched the head of the target explode with a spray of blood. _'Target down.' _Pulling back the bolt and releasing the cartridge, I picked it up and placed it in my pocket, leaving no evidence. The guards would have heard the sound of my shot around five or six seconds after the death, so they would be looking for me. Luckily, the suppressor helps with that. It's harder to pinpoint the where the shot originated with it on my rifle.

Quickly stowing the rifle in my backpack, I made sure to destroy any tracks and shifted into a falcon. I sped off in the air any made my way back to Konoha.

* * *

Konoha

Meeting Danzo back at his ROOT base, I informed him of completion.

"Well done. As usual, you won't be paid, but I'll continue to make sure you don't have to pay for your home and any supplies you need for your weapons."

"Thank you Danzo."

"I wish I could convince you to join ROOT. You are a fantastic ninja. Loyal to Konoha and strong enough to take on almost anyone in the five great nations."

"Thanks for the compliment but I'll pass. Don't you put your seals on your ROOT anyway? They wouldn't work on me since I have no chakra. Helps with more that just passing detection."

"Quite. I will contact you when your services are required once more."

"Of course. I'll be off then."

"Goodbye."

* * *

Home

_'It's only 15:00, I could go out, or I could stay in. I'm glad I finished with work. Getting up at 6:00 in the morning is better than my old job but still, I can't be arsed. At least I had the common courtesy to get a replacement. I'm sure Tenten is thanking her lucky stars right now.'_ My old laziness winning again, I went to my room and sat down. Removing my rifle, I took it apart and cleaned it. This had become an almost religious practice for me. Since I hardly ever do anything, I started to spend more time caring for my weapons. Placing the spent casing in a box for melting down and remolding, I checked the weapon and made sure I hadn't missed , I placed the individual parts into a case and closed it.

Laying down, I heard a familiar beep. _'A new ability? It's been so long I thought there wouldn't be any more.' _I reactivated my glasses.

'Congratulations! You have unlocked the ability 'Quicksilver'! Simply put, this ability speeds up everything about you. While you are now already able to run upwards of 800mph, faster than the speed of sound, this affects more than just running speed. Your reaction time, physical abilities, everything will be sped up. Think of it as the ability to slow time while moving at normal speed while everything else is slow. That is what it will feel like anyway. At the moment, you can slow time up to 25% of normal time. Upon mastery, you will be able to slow time down to 1% and another ability will appear. That's all for now!"

_'Slowing time? It's probably how people with the sharingan see things. I'll try it out some other time. Wait, if I have this activated and run at full speed, at my current level, I will be going at least 3,200 mph. That's nearing Mach 5, hypersonic speeds! If I ever moved that fast, the area around me would be ripped apart. If it wasn't for what Danzo found out, I would still be assuming I'd be ripped apart as well.' _

Not too long ago, I went for another speed test. After they found out I was nearing the speed of sound. They told me that traveling at transonic levels could rip my body to pieces. After that, I met with Danzo. Asking him to watch me with that sharingan he has, I moved far away and started running. After passing him at close to the speed of sound, he had called me back.

"When you were running, my sharingan detected a field in front of you. The field lets air in but massively slows it down so it won't damage you with friction burning and simple pummeling. I would assume the field grows stronger the faster you go. It's a good thing you came to see me. I have a mission for you."

Well based on that, the only thing me traveling at hypersonic speeds will destroy, is anything but me. _'There's no way I'm gonna run full pelt at 1% quicksilver, I'd be going 80,000 mph at least. That's well over 100x the speed of sound. The fastest thing ever created on Earth didn't even make it to half that. In the atmosphere at least. In space, that's a different story. Myself, I'd destroy anything I came even in just the general area of simply by pure speed.'_

Deciding to go out and create some more bullets, I left for Miyamoto's.

* * *

Miyamoto's

"Yo, Tenten!"

"Shin! Are you here to make more of your bullets?"

"Yeah. Why else would I come here. I wouldn't want to have to put up with your face otherwise."

She threw a kunai directly at my head. _'I knew that'd get a reaction out of her. Now I can try my quicsilver trick.' _Activating quicksilver to 25%, the kunai slowed to what looked like, maybe 6 or 7 miles an hour. Waiting until it reached near me, as fast as I could, I shot my hand out, plucked it out of the air and hid it behind my back.

"Where the hell did my kunai go?"

"This kunai?" I took it out from behind my back and handed it back to her.

"How did you do that? It looked like it just disappeared!"

"I'm just that good. Now, I have some stuff to melt down and mold if you don't mind."

"Sure. Kojiro's in the back. Thanks for introducing me to him by the way. How did you know I like weapons?"

"Like I said. I'm that good. Seeya later."

"Yeah, seeya."

_'At least she didn't pester me about my guns again. Last time, in a moment of weakness, I let her have a go and she really put up a fight when I wanted them back. I had to forbid her to replicate the weapon. She's a natural marksman though. I might make her one sometime as a gift. When she's older though. I really can't trust a 13 year old with a gun. Even if they are trained ninja already."_

I made my way to the back. Miyamoto was working on a sword.

"Hey, who's the sword for?"

"Don't tell her, but I'm making this one especially for Tenten. I had to tell her it was for some foreign dignitary to get her off my back. It's going to be another masterpiece of mine. It's a shame you stopped, you could have been even better than you already are."

"All I had was talent. I don't want to put in the effort into it to become a master. Tenten will be able and very willing to succeed you though."

"Yeah, she has a lot of talent with weapons. I'm making this for her to compensate for her lack of close combat skills. She's pretty good at kenjutsu. Put a weapon in her hand and she'll be a natural."

"I know. That's why I brought her here. Anyway, I need to work on my bullets. Did you get some more of those specially made explosive tags?"

"Yeah, a new lot came in yesterday. I don't know why you always make so many."

"Better to have them and not need them, then to need them and not have them."

"I guess. Well, I've got to get back to this. The sword ain't gonna make itself."

"Of course. I won't keep you." I grabbed the load of cartridges I had and got to work.

* * *

It was late when I got home. Naruto was already back.

"Have a nice day Naruto?"

"Yeah, I went to Kiba's but they were out.' _'Thank god.'_

"I grabbed you some gear from the shop on my way back. Here, try them on."

He got changed and was now wearing some loose trousers like mine, an orange t-shirt that had the Uzumaki spiral in black on the front and a black zip up hoodie, with a high collar to cover his lower face, not entirely dissimilar to Shino's. That was to cover his whisker marks and bright hair if necessary to avoid detection.

"It's pretty cool, I'm not gonna cover up my face though when I'm around here. Thanks for these." _'Anything to stop him wearing all that orange. It's alright in small doses but everywhere? No way.'_

"No problem. Now you've got academy tomorrow. You're lucky I always let you off school on your birthday."

"Yeah yeah. You always go on about how you're the cool dude who's 'well chill'. Give it a rest."

"I would get annoyed, but as you very well know, I am proper chillaxed. Now lets have something to eat."

"Can we go to Ichiraku's?"

"No. You always go there. It'll end up stunting your growth you know. You need the proper nutrients. I'll make some proper dinner."

Naruto whined. "Fine."

"There's a good boy. I'll call you when it's ready."

* * *

Later that day

_'Naruto will graduate the academy soon. Since he still can't make a proper bunshin to save his life, even with all those chakra control exercises, everything should go smoothly. After Naruto takes Mizuki out, Iruka will make Naruto a genin. Once that happens, I'll take Naruto to see the Hokage and we will explain everything. Except for my background of course. That's a whole other can of worms.'  
_

I decided to hit the sack. It would start to get very busy, very soon.

* * *

_**Author's note: This was difficult to get started. I'd started watching a TV-show on the internet and everyone knows when you do that, you watch it in one hit. It should prove to you how dedicated I am to stop in the middle of it.  
**_

_**Anyway, would like honest feedback on how you think the story is progressing. I think I'll be arriving at canon start pretty soon. What do you think of the choices and the way I portray some of the characters? I tried to make them as normal as possible but I don't know how well I did.**_


	9. A New Beginning

_Chapter 8 - A New Beginning  
_

_'Thinking'_

_**'Mind talking'**_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, books, TV-shows or games.

* * *

Home

The first day. It begins. Since arriving in this universe, I hadn't changed much. Aside from a few wardrobe changes, the only other differences is that I grew some stubble and let my hair out a little more. At least Naruto didn't paint the Hokage monument yesterday like he did originally. I guess having a family knocked that crap out of him. He still pulled smaller pranks but I could let them slide. He even still made his bloody Sexy Jutsu. Talk about repressed urges.

Naruto was in the Academy right now, trying and failing to produce a clone of himself. I was watching from inside the classroom. Nobody could notice me due to my having no chakra and I had shapeshifted into a small bird, perched on one of the lamps hanging from the ceiling.

Naruto's clone was a disaster, it was barely standing. While better than the first time round, it was still not good enough to let him pass.

"Fail," Iruka stated.

"Iruka," Mizuki said. "This is his third time, his taijutsu is good and he did create a clone. We could let him pass."

Naruto smiled.

"No way Mizuki! Everyone else created at least two clones. Naruto only created one, and it was useless. I can't let him pass."

Naruto's face fell and he looked angry.

Later on, all the kid's families were congratulating them on passing, while Naruto was sitting on the swing. Alone. I walked over to him.

"Don't worry Naruto, you'll pass it next time."

Naruto exploded, "Next time! I failed the last three times! I'll fail the next three times just because I can't get that damn clone technique down!"

"Naruto, cool off. Have a walk. We'll talk later."

Naruto stormed off. I followed him and shifted into a bird again.

A few minutes later, Mizuki showed up.

"Naruto," He called out.

"Mizuki-sensei!"

"I should talk to you."

* * *

"Iruka-sensei is a serious person Naruto. He wasn't being mean."

"Then why does he always pick on me?"

"His parents were killed in the Kyuubi's attack. He probably sees a little of himself in you. You were lucky to be adopted but he never had that luck. He wan't to see you become truly strong. Try to see it from his perspective." _'He is a good actor. If I didn't know him, I'd be fooled."_

"But I wish I graduated, I know nii-san must be disappointed even if he doesn't show it."

"In that case, I have a little secret to tell you."

"Secret?"

"Yeah. It isn't something used anymore, the last time someone did this was ages ago. Long story short, you can still become a genin before the day is over."

"Really? How?"

"Simply put, you have to show infiltration skills, evasion skills and your aptitude for becoming a ninja by stealing the scroll of seals from the Hokage Mansion, evading the pursuing ninja and learning a technique from the scroll. I believe that even though you can't create a simple clone, you have great potential. That's why I am giving you this chance. Here's a tip. In the woods, there is a building. Nobody has used it in years. Go there and you'll have plenty of time to learn it before anyone finds you."

"Sure! I'll do it!"

* * *

Later That Day

Naruto had zipped his hoodie up and placed the hood over his head. He snuck into the Hokage's Mansion, incapacitated the Hokage with his abominable technique, broke into the library and took the scroll. _'I'm surprised it isn't guarded better.'_

Following him to the building in the woods, Naruto was practicing. He left his hoodie on a rock to cool off. I watched him practice for an hour and sit down for some rest, when I heard someone approaching.

Iruka looked both tired and pissed. "I've found you Naruto."

Naruto looked sheepish. "I guess you did. Too late though! I already learned a technique! When I show you I'll become a genin right?"

Iruka was shocked, "Who told you that?"

"Mizuki-sensei told me about the scroll, and this place. He said if I learn a technique while evading ninja, I can graduate."

A barrage of kunai came from behind him. Shoving Naruto out of the way, Iruka took the brunt of it and was forced back to the building.

"You did well finding the idiot. This wasn't in the plan but I guess I can improvise."

"So that's what's going on," Iruka grunted in pain.

"Naruto, Give me the scroll!" Mizuki shouted at Naruto.

"W-what the hell's going on here?"

"Naruto! Whatever happens, don't give him that scroll!" Iruka started pulling kunai out of his body. "That's a dangerous scroll that has forbidden ninjutsu inside it. Mizuki used you to get his hands on it!"

"Naruto, there's no point in you having it. You have no use for it. I'll tell you the truth."

"N-No don't!" Iruka screamed at him.

"12 years ago, you obviously know the story about the demon fox attacking Konoha right? Well, it wasn't killed, it's made of pure chakra! You can't kill chakra Naruto. It was sealed by the best sealing expert. The Fourth. Since that day, a law was passed. You were never to know about this law."

"Why shouldn't I know about it? What rule is it? Tell me!"

Mizuki chuckled. "The law is that, under punishment of death, nobody is allowed to talk about how you are actually the Kyuubi itself!"

"What?" Naruto got to his feet, "What do you mean?"

"Stop it!" Iruka roared at Mizuki.

"Don't you get it Naruto? It means that you are the nine tailed demon fox that killed Iruka's parents and decimated Konoha. You were sealed up by the Hokage you admire so much," Iruka screamed at him to shut his mouth, "everyone lied to you. Didn't you ever wonder why everyone hated you? Even Iruka. Iruka bears that same hatred to you!"

"DAMN IT!" Pure chakra started bursting from Naruto.

"Nobody will ever love you!" Mizuki launched an oversized shuriken at Naruto. "That scroll was used to seal you up!"

Naruto shut his eyes. Iruka launched himself over Naruto and took the attack to his back.

"Why?" Naruto muttered.

"My, my parents. When they died, nobody acknowledged me. I acted like an idiot to get attention. I was like you used to be. It hurt deep inside. You found someone to take care of you. I know you were in so much pain before that. If I did a better job of teaching you, you wouldn't be in this position."

Naruto turned and sprinted off. "Naruto!" Iruka reached out.

"Naruto isn't the type to change his mind," Mizuki dropped down. "I reckon he'll use the scroll to get revenge on the village who scorned him. You saw those eyes. The eyes of a demon."

Iruka ripped out the shuriken from his back. _'It's lucky it didn't sever his spinal cord.'_

"Na-'cough', Naruto isn't like that."

"It doesn't matter. In the end, I'm going to kill him, take the scroll and kill you too."

Mizuki sped off. Just after he left, Iruka transformed into Naruto and followed.

_'I better follow too.' _I came off the branch and flew over the trees. I spotted Naruto just ahead of Iruka. Iruka shoulder barged right into Mizuki, who was transformed as Naruto, and he dropped.

"How did you know I wasn't Iruka?" Mizuki coughed out.

"Because I'm Iruka." He dispelled the henge.

"Heh. To think you'd even transform into the monster that killed your parents."

"I'll never hand the scroll over to someone like you! Dumbass, Naruto and I are the same! How could I hate him?"

"If you used the skills in that scroll, you'd be able to do anything! There's no way the demon fox wouldn't do the same."

"Yeah, the 'demon fox' would, but Naruto wouldn't. I've acknowledged him as my excellent student. Even if he isn't the hardest worker, he already knows the pain of loneliness. He isn't the demon fox. He's a member of Konoha. He's Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto was crying behind a tree.

"Well, whatever. I said I'd take care of you later but you've just pissed me off too goddamn much. Die!" Mizuki pulled his arm back and started to throw another large shuriken. Just before he released it, Naruto burst out, grabbed his wrist to knock the shuriken off course, pulled on Mizuki's arm to aim and planted his foot into his face. Releasing his arm, Mizuki flew back.

He slowly got up, bloodied. "You shouldn't have done that, demon."

"Don't touch Iruka-sensei! I'll kill you if you do!"

"What the hell Naruto! Why'd you come out! Run!"

"Hahaha! I'll kill some punk like you in one shot!"

"Try it, trash. I'll pay it back a thousand times over!" Naruto made a hand seal.

"Do it then! Demon fox!"

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" No less than a hundred clones appeared.

"W-what's going on?!" Needless to say, Mizuki was quite surprised at this turn of events.

"What's wrong? Weren't you gonna kill me in one shot? Well since you seem to be in shock, I'll start!" A lot of punching and kicking followed for the next half an hour. It was a testament to how much punishment ninja can take that he was even still alive after that.

"Hehe. Maybe I went a little too far." Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Naruto. Come here, there's something I want to give you. Close your eyes."

Naruto sat in front of him and closed his eyes. Iruka untied his forehead protector and tied it around Naruto's head.

"Open your eyes." Naruto opened them. "Congratulations on graduating Naruto! You are now a genin of Konoha!"

_'Well I'd better make my entrance.'_

"Yo Naruto! You dropped something!" I threw his hoodie at his face. "I bought that for you, don't leave it in the middle of the woods!"

"Shin! Guess what?"

"What? Did you go through a series of unfortunate events that culminated in you actually becoming a genin?"

"Yeah! How'd you know?"

"Magic. Anyway, Don't you remember what I said would happen when you became a ninja?"

"Yeah! You said you and the Hokage would give me something!"

"Not so much give you something, as tell you something."

"Is it about the Kyuubi?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Mizuki-sensei told me. He said I was the Kyuubi itself." Naruto stiffened as if he thought I would hate him.

"What? You?" I started laughing.

"What the hell are you laughing at! The strongest demon in the world is sealed in me and you're laughing?"

I managed to get myself together. "I'm not laughing at the fact you have the Kyuubi in you, I'm laughing at what you said Mizuki said. You? The Kyuubi? That's absurd. I don't know about you but I never saw you tearing people apart every five seconds. Besides, I already knew."

"You knew?" He looked betrayed.

"Yeah, what did you think you were gonna be told today? I'll take you to the Hokage and we'll explain everything. Even the things you don't know."

"There are still things I don't know?"

"You're twelve. I'm sure there's plenty you don't know. Iruka?" I looked to him.

"Yeah?"

"I'll take you to the Hospital first. You're lucky the shuriken didn't damage your spine."

"How did you know it was a shuriken?"

"Uh, magic?" I grabbed him before he could ask any more questions and rushed him to the hospital.

* * *

Hokage's Office

The Hokage stared at Naruto. He sighed. "Naruto. I know you are wondering why I never told you about the Kyuubi. I simply didn't know when the right time was. In the end I decided to tell you once you became a ninja. I also knew your parents."

"You knew them? Who were they?"

"Instead of me just tell you, I'll tell you everything that happened on the day you were born."

"Alright old man. Just don't drag it out."

"Of course Naruto. 10th of October. Your mother was in labour with you. I knew your parents well enough to send my own wife to oversee the pregnancy. Very soon after your birth, the Kyuubi was released onto Konoha."

"Released?"

"Yes Naruto. Released. Your mother was the previous Jinchuriki. A Jinchuriki is a human container for a tailed beast. This is one of the reasons you were chosen as the next container. The Kyuubi wasn't supposed to get out but the birth weakened her. Your mother's name was Kushina Uzumaki."

"Uzumaki? That's why it's my second name. Why didn't anyone recognize it?"

"Nobody really knew her. She was from a different village. Anyway, The Kyuubi got out and raised hell in Konoha. Many ninja died sacrificing their lives to buy time for the Fourth Hokage to stop it."

"Why wasn't he there?"

"He was fighting an unknown assailant. After defeating him, He rushed back to Konoha and transported the Kyuubi using his Hiraishin technique. It's a space-time ninjutsu that made him famous in the Third Ninja War. He was known as the Yellow Flash. After transporting the Kyuubi back to Kushina, he knew that her body couldn't withstand the Kyuubi being resealed into her. He was a seal master and he had only one option. To seal it into you Naruto. I'm about to tell you something even less people know about than the Kyuubi. The main reason he sealed it into you wasn't just because your mother had it, but because he couldn't ask anyone else to allow him so seal a demon into a child if he wasn't willing to do it to his own. Naruto, he sealed the Kyuubi into you because you were his child. Minato Namikaze is your father."

"W-what?" Naruto had just found out his hero was also his own father.

"The only seal powerful enough to seal the Kyuubi into you he had time for was the Shiki Fuujin. This sealing technique sacrificed the casters life to seal anything. It's a technique created by the Uzumaki's. The Kyuubi wouldn't let them seal him again and tried to kill you. Minato and Kushina gave there lives protecting you. I arrived to late to save them but Minato made me promise to protect you. He wanted the village to see you as a hero. I couldn't keep that promise. The civilians don't realise just how strong the seal is. Most of them see you as the Kyuubi or believe you are under it's influence." The Hokage leaned back into his chair. "So Naruto, what do you think?"

Naruto was stunned silent. Finding out the circumstances surrounding your birth, your parents death and the truth about what is sealed inside you can do that to a person. Especially when they all happened withing hours of each other.

"See Naruto, I told you a name isn't something to be discarded. Your heritage is something to be proud of."

"Yeah, old man, where are all the other Uzumaki's?"

The Hokage looked saddened. "Most of them are dead. All who survived, scattered. Your mother was the daughter of one of those. The Uzumaki's came from the Land of Whirlpools. Because of just how good their sealing prowess was, they were considered a threat to some country. Nobody knows who attacked because they were all unmarked shinobi. Konoha had good ties with them. That spiral you see everywhere? That's the clan symbol of the Uzumaki's. We have it as a way of honouring them. Here Naruto, I have a picture of your father." The Hokage opened a drawer and pulled out a photo of Minato with his team and handed it to Naruto.

Naruto looked intently at it as if to memorize every detail of his father as soon as possible. "So this is him?"

"Yes. That's him with his genin team. Kakashi, Obito and Rin. Kakashi's the only one still alive from the picture unfortunately."

"Can I meet him?"

"You'll probably meet him sooner than you think. Now Naruto. You have to make a choice. Your name, would you like to keep it, or change it to Namikaze."

"I'm going to keep it the same. When I have become strong enough and everyone acknowledges me, I will take it as my second name and no sooner. I don't want everyone to notice me just because of who I am."

"I think that's the best choice you can make. I don't have a picture of your mother here but I can get it."

"Where is it?"

"At Minato's house."

"His house?" Naruto was intrigued.

"Yes. He had a relatively large house outside Konoha's west wall. It is deep in the woods so nobody goes there. If anybody did go there, they wouldn't be able to see it due to the seals placed on it by Minato himself. I could take you there if you like?"

Naruto scoffed, "If I like. Of course I wanna go!"

* * *

Outside Konoha's West Side Wall

Since the Hokage now had another reason to get out of work, he took us to the house. I didn't have any information on the house so this would be something new.

The Hokage walked us through the forest until he brought us to a stop. "We're here."

"But I can't see it!"

"That's the point dumbass. Didn't you listen to what he said?"

"Now now, I'll dispel it for you."

Making a handsign, a large building came into view as if a heat haze had dissipated.

I whistled. "That's not a bad house. We should live here from now on Naruto." The house was two stories. While that was quite normal, it was at least three or four houses wide. I couldn't tell how far back it went from here.

"I'll only live here once I take up the name. It wouldn't be right otherwise. Old man, could you get the picture for me?"

"Of course Naruto." The Hokage entered through the gates and into the house.

After several minutes, he came back out.

"What took you so long? It's only a picture," I said.

"I grabbed a couple of other things too. Naruto should be able to learn at least one of the techniques his father used."

"What did you get?" Naruto was interested in some new techniques.

"Just the one. The Hiraishin. Now Naruto, the Hiraishin will take much time to learn to use, let alone master. It was created by my sensei. The second Hokage. Minato made himself the most feared shinobi ever when he mastered the technique. Everything you need to know about it is in this scroll. Here." He handed it to Naruto.

"The only other thing I took, aside from the photo, was the letter your father wrote before he died to you, Naruto."

"He wrote a letter?"

"Yes. It'd be best if you read it when you have some time. Here's the letter and the picture." He handed Naruto a sealed scroll and photo. "To unlock the scroll, just place some blood on it. It's to make sure you, and only you read it."

"Thanks old man." Naruto pocketed the scroll and looked at the picture. It was probably taken in this very house. Minato was standing next to a heavily pregnant Kushina. They were dressed in casual clothing. They seemed content.

I saw tears fall from Naruto's eyes.

"Naruto? Do you want to head home now? We can take a look at that letter when we get back."

Naruto wiped his eyes. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

Home

I locked the front door and went upstairs with Naruto. We sat down on his bed and he took out the letter. Naruto winced as he cut his finger to bleed on the seal and upon contact, the seal disappeared. Naruto unrolled the scroll. "Could you read it for me? I don't think I'll be able to read the whole thing."

"Of course." I skimmed through it and started reading.

"_Naruto, this is your father writing. I don't really know what to say, except I'm sorry. I'm sorry I had to seal the Kyuubi into you, I'm sorry I'm not there for you, and if my last wish goes unfulfilled, I'm sorry for how the villagers treat you. I didn't want this to happen. Your mother should be with you but I don't know what will happen when I confront the Kyuubi. I am writing this letter to try and convey just how much I love you Naruto. Kushina wanted to write as well but she's too weak from childbirth. I'll write down what she's saying instead. 'Naruto, this is your mom, Kushina. I want you to know I will love you now and forever, no matter what happens. I know personally, the hardships of being a jinchuriki. Minato doesn't have much time left, I'm sorry I couldn't be there Naruto. I love you.' Well that's my wife. Naruto, I want you to become the greatest you can be, both as a shinobi, and as a person. Never break your promises, always do what is right, and never, Never, abandon your friends. I have to let you know that only half of the Kyuubi's chakra is sealed in you. I sealed the other half in myself. I did this because I couldn't let the masked man's plan be brought to fruition. He's after the tailed beasts chakra Naruto. This way, he'll never be able to complete his plan. Kushina has some advice on the Kyuubi. 'Naruto, while it was sealed inside me, it always tried to trick me into letting it out. You must make your own choices but don't naively believe whatever he says. Don't be afraid to give him some stick when he needs it.' Once more, I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you but I believe you will be the greatest shinobi ever, surpassing even me. In another world, we could have been a proper family. It's a shame things turned out this way. Goodbye Naruto. I love you._

_Signed,_

_Namikaze Minato,_

_The Fourth Hokage,_

_Proud Father of Uzumaki Naruto_."

I placed the letter down. Naruto was crying into his hands. I pulled him to me and rested his head against my chest. Naruto put his arms around me and wept. "Naruto, your father was a great shinobi and an even greater father. Even in just this one letter, his love for you is obvious. You can be sad he's gone, but don't forget to be happy he lived a good life. Better than most could hope for. He had a loving wife, and would have watched his son grow up to be everything he was and more if events hadn't conspired against him. When you have a chance, have the Hokage take you to his grave and talk to him. It will help you mourn." After a few minutes, Naruto had cried himself to sleep. My cheeks were wet from crying as well. _'It's weird. I only cry for others. Never myself. I must be too empathetic for my own good." _I lay Naruto down on his bed and tucked him in. _'You'll meet Kakashi tomorrow. You'll have a chance to ask him more about your father.'  
_

I went to my room. The teams would be given out tomorrow and I wasn't going to miss it.

* * *

The Next Day

I let Naruto sleep in a little later today. He wouldn't have to be at the academy until 11:00 anyway, and that's just for team placement. I made a simple wooden frame for the picture of Minato and Kushina and placed it down on the dresser next to Naruto's bed, facing him so he'd see it when he woke up. I made myself and Naruto some food for when he woke up. A couple of minutes into cooking, Naruto came downstairs, his eyes red. "You awake Naruto?"

"Yeah," He mumbled. "Thanks for the picture frame."

"No problem Otouto. Bacon and eggs if you want some."

"Sure." He was still down from yesterday.

"Naruto, after you meet your team today, go and see the Hokage and do what I said. It'll help."

"Alright." Naruto started chowing down his food, without the usual gusto.

"Tell you what, I'll come with you today."

"How? Only the people allowed there can go."

"Do you really think anybody will be able to detect me? Besides, I'll just transform into a nice little animal and curl up around your neck."

"I still don't get how a 6'5" guy like you can become that small. You're a freaking giant!"

"I know, I only know of one person taller than me and they ain't from Konoha. Anyway, I don't know how it works, it just does. Now, you've got about an hour till you need to be there. I'll take you and shift when we're there."

"Okay nii-san. It'll be fun!"

* * *

Outside The Academy

I changed my mind before coming into view of the academy and decided to shift into a large black wolf instead. _'This'll scare the others."_

"What are you doing? I thought you were going to be a 'cute little fox'?"

I attempted to speak. I ended up growling. I altered my vocal chords and made a second attempt. "Sorry. I doubt it'd have gone down well if you were seen with a 'fox' of all animals. Besides, I wanted to be a wolf so that's that."

"You're more childish than me sometimes nii-san."

"I'm rubber and you're glue."

This would have been a strange sight. A kid, calling giant black wolf childish and the wolf actually being childish. Never mind the speaking. It is a novel experience, shapeshifting. As a wolf, my senses of smell and hearing are heightened naturally so I don't have to focus on enhancing them.

When we walked in, the other kids gave us a wide berth. "They seem to be scared for some reason Naruto."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I wonder why that is."

We walked into the classroom and sat down. I lay down on the desk and absentmindedly scratched the desk with my claws. Naruto started rubbing my ears. _'That actually feels pretty nice.'_

Shikamaru came by. He looked at me, I looked back. Shikamaru just sighed and I swear I heard him mutter 'troublesome' under his breath.

"Naruto, what are you doing here? This is only for those who graduated."

"Can't you see my forehead protector? I passed!"

Sakura came down, "Oy, shift it Naruto. I'm sitting over, the..." Sakura trailed off as she saw me. I don't know what took her so long. I was at least 1 meter tall and another three quarters on top of that long. _'It must be how quiet I'm being.'_

Sakura decided to leave. _'I guess the thought I'd eat her. I wouldn't put it past me if she pissed me off too much.' _Kiba jumped into the seat between Naruto and Sasuke. "Yo Naruto! Who's this?"

Naruto whispered to him. "It's my nii-san. Don't tell anybody."

"Sure. A black wolf huh? Pretty cool!"

Akamaru yipped.

Naruto turned, looked past Kiba and saw Sasuke. Brooding as usual.

"What is it?" Sasuke inquired politely. _'Politely? I must have changed him a lot.'_

"Nothing."

"Then stop staring at me." _'Maybe not as much as I thought.'_

"I wasn't staring at you, asshole!"

"You were looking right at me, not saying anything. That's staring."

Naruto jumped up on the desk in front of him.

"Who do you think you are?"

"Uchiha Sasuke." His fangirls started squealing.

Naruto leaned in closed, giving him the evils. _'It's actually gonna happen? Should I stop it? While the comedic value is quite high, I can't have Naruto losing brain cells from being assaulted by the horde of fangirls.'_

As the kid behind Naruto knocked him, I headbutted Naruto away from Sasuke.

As Naruto tumbled to the floor, he shouted at me. "What the hell nii-san?!"

"What did you want me to do, if you'd have stayed there, your first kiss would have been with that kid. I just saved you a lot of hassle."

"Nii-san?" Iruka had entered.

"Nice one Naruto." Everyone except a couple were looking with incredulity at a large wolf speaking to a kid. Thinking quickly, I said, "I'm Naruto's partner. My name is Kemono." '_Great. Now I have another name. I will steal a word to describe this, troublesome.'_

"Are you a ninken?"

"No, I'm just a creature. Hence the name."

Iruka decided to let it go. "Whatever. Kemono, don't cause trouble."

"My apologies."

"Right. Everyone, starting today, you are all shinobi of Konoha, but you are still only genin. The hard journey is only beginning. Soon, you will start missions to help Konoha and it's interests, so today, we will put you into 3-man teams."

"Told you Naruto."

"Be quiet Kemono."

"Sorry."

"Each team will have a jonin sensei. You will obey your sensei's instructions at all times to successfully complete your missions. The teams were chosen with balance in mind." He went through the first six teams.

"Team seven will be Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

"Yes! In your face Ino!"

"I guess I should add Kemono to the list." _'Crap. Wait, I wanted a way onto the team. God am I awesome. I get what I want by pure accident." _My tail started wagging of it's own accord.

"Why do I have to be on the same team as this prick?"

"Naruto! I told you, the teams were chosen with balance in mind. You are with Sasuke because he was number one in the academy and you were last."

"Stop whining, deadlast."

"What did you say?!"

I clamped my jaws around Naruto's arm softly before he threw a punch, "Don't bother Naruto. You'll show him what you can do on your missions."

Iruka sensei finished the other teams. "Alright, you'll meet your jonin sensei's later today. For now, take a break."

* * *

We came back later on and everyone was back in the classroom. After a while, the jonin sensei's came in and started collecting their respective teams. About 15 minutes later, everyone was gone except for our team. Naruto and I waited for another hour and a half chatting before Naruto got up.

"What are you doing Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Why the hell is our sensei the only one so late? I'm gonna teach him a lesson." Naruto grabbed a blackboard eraser and stuck it between the door and frame at the top.

"I'm staying out of it." Sakura's mouth said no, but her eyes said hell yeah.

"Naruto, there's no way he'd fall for it. He's a jonin."

"Don't be so sure Sasuke. If he's so late, he can't be that attentive." I chided.

Sure enough, a couple of seconds later, a head popped through and the eraser landed on his head. It was pretty comical. Naruto started laughing at him while Sakura pretended she tried to stop Naruto. Sasuke just looked shocked that a jonin would fall for such a simple trap.

"Hmm. How can I put this?" The jonin paused and rubbed his chin. "I hate you."

The jonin told us to go to the roof and left again.

After we got to the roof, he was waiting. "Alright, sit down and introduce yourselves."

"What do you want to know?" Sakura asked.

"How about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, things like that."

Naruto pointed at him. "Hey, you should introduce yourself first!"

"Yeah, you look kinda suspicious." Sakura added.

"Oh me? Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi, I my likes and dislikes are none of your business, dreams for the future, hmm, I have lots of hobbies..."

"All he told us was his name!" Sakura said.

Naruto looked at me. "Kakashi? That's my fathers student. He looks like him too. I guess I didn't notice cause of the mask. Didn't he have both of his eyes uncovered in the picture?"

"Yeah, maybe he lost one."

"Now, it's your turn. Start from the right."

"Alright. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I love Ichiraku Ramen, cup ramen, when other people pay for my ramen and my nii-san. I dislike waiting for my ramen and when nii-san keeps making these stupid puns. My dreams, I have a few. First, I want to make everyone in the village acknowledge and respect me. Second, I want to surpass the Hokage and become one. Finally, I want surpass my father and become the strongest ninja ever. My hobbies, pranks, I guess."

Kakashi rubbed his head as if to acknowledge he already knew he liked pranks.

"My name is Uch-" I interrupted him.

"Excuse me? I think I'm next? Rude." I cleared my throat. Kakashi looked about as surprised as he could be with that mask on. "Well, I'm Kemono. I am Naruto's partner. I know that usually only Inuzuka's have animal partners but I'm one of the exceptions. My likes are chilling out, listening to music and a nice dinner. My dislikes are hypocrites, liars and people who don't appreciate my puns. I don't really have any dreams. Unless I'm asleep I guess. My hobbies, listening to music and chilling."

I looked at Sasuke. "We haven't got all day, get moving!"

"Hn. My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like training. I dislike a lot of things. I can't really call it a dream, but I have an ambition. To bring my clan back to it's full glory and,"

_'Pause for effect.'_

"To take down a certain man." _'Take down, not kill? I guess his feelings toward his brother are a little different.'_

Naruto looked a little worried. "He doesn't mean you Naruto," I reassured him.

"Ok. Last one."

"My name is Haruno Sakura. The person I like is..." She glanced at Sasuke and blushed, "Um, my dream for the future is..." She looked at him and squealed into her hands.

"So what do you dislike?"

"Naruto." She glared at Naruto.

"Well, that's the introductions over with. Tomorrow, we'll start our duties as Konoha shinobi."

"Duties?! What duties?!" Naruto was excited.

"The first thing we will do, is survival training."

"Survival training?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke brooded, and Sakura asked, "Why training? We had plenty of that at the academy."

"This won't be normal training." Kakashi started chuckling.

"What's so funny sensei?" Sakura was perturbed.

"Well, it's just what I'm about to tell you will really surprise you."

"Freak out?"

"Of the 27 graduates, only 9 will pass. The other 18 will be sent back to the academy. This training has a failure rate of 66%!"

Needless to say, they looked shocked.

"Haha! I told you you'd be surprised!"

"WHAT! NO WAY! We worked so hard! What was the point of graduating?" Naruto was more upset than the others.

"Oh that? That was just to find out who had the potential to become genin. The real test is after. Anyway, you'll have to show all of your skills tomorrow on the training ground. Bring all shinobi tools you have. Oh, skip breakfast. You'll only throw up." Kakashi walked over. "Here are the details on it. Don't be late tomorrow." _'Even though he'll be late, he's the one of the few exceptions I have to my dislikes.'_

Sakura was very worried now. "I might throw up?! Is it that tough?"

Naruto was extra motivated.

"Alright. Go home and get some rest. You'll need it tomorrow." Kakashi left. After Sasuke and Sakura left as well, Naruto went after Kakashi.

"Kakashi! Wait!"

"What is it Naruto?"

"I wanted to ask you some stuff."

"About what?"

"My father."

"I thought you might. I knew him for about 7 or 8 years before he died."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"For the same reason nobody else who knew didn't. It wasn't our place to say."

"Can you tell me about him?"

"First, I'd rather you told me why your brother, a jonin, is on our team disguised as a wolf."

I piped up. "I'll answer that. Naruto has a rough night so I decided to go with him to the academy, long story short, I ended up being placed on the team as Naruto's partner."

"Well Shin, you're a jonin. It'd be absurd to have you on this team."

"Why, weren't you a jonin on your team?"

"Touché. How did you know about that?"

"I know a lot. I have an idea. Since the missions I take are few and far inbetween, why don't I stay on this team? I'll even restrict the use of my abilities to lower my skill level."

"You're still a jonin. I can't make a decision on this although the Hokage could make an exception. Personally, I think you should be allowed to. If the other genin think you are just another genin, they'll work even harder once they see how skilled you are. It's lucky Konoha have so many experienced jonin otherwise we wouldn't be able to spare any. It's even luckier you don't have to take on a team yourself."

"Yeah, it is. Tell you what, when you see the Hokage, tell him I'll restrict my abilities to shapeshifting and quicksilver. I'll drop my speed down to maybe high chuunin levels and the same with my strength. I'll need a new face if I'm gonna stay."

"Alright. I'm sure the Hokage can cook up a legitimate reason for you to be on the team."

"Thanks."

"So, now you know why he's on the team. Are you going to tell me about him?" Naruto said.

"There's not much to tell. He was quite possibly the strongest ninja and an even better person. I didn't know about you until after his death. While I knew Kushina was pregnant, I didn't know much else. I was in the ANBU so I kept myself aside a lot of the time. Anyway, he saved my life a number of times on missions. I owe everything I have to him."

"Come on Naruto, let's get going. There's not much else to be said."

We left.

* * *

Home

Shortly after getting home, Naruto asked, "So, who are you going to be?"

"I really don't know. I want to choose someone I know of but I can't pick. I like the entertainment. You know what? Fuck it. I'll be all of them."

Naruto looked perplexed. "All of them? How are you gonna do that?"

"I'll just shapeshift into someone else whenever I want. I'll still need another alias. Maybe, a man with no face. Kaonashi. That'll be my name."

"What'll you look like?"

"Like this." I shifted into a faceless person, short black hair and I now was about a foot smaller than I usually am, to fit in. _'I'd probably fit in better if I had a face but that's the beauty of it. I can be whoever I want.'_ I was now wearing some loose black pants, very soft and flexible, but tough footwear and a black sleeveless hoodie.

"That's creepy. Really creepy. If I get nightmares now I'm gonna set you on fire while your asleep."

"Don't get your knickers in a twist Naruto."

"How are you even talking? You have no face!"

"Just pretend it's a really good mask. I've gotta catch up with Kakashi, he's probably at the Hokage's now and I need to try and get myself on your team."

"Sure. Get going before he finishes."

I left my house. _'Well, let's find out if it'll work.' _I had decided to have my base character simply be a good fighter with good strength and speed. I'd decided that I would shapeshift myself into other characters, and restrict myself to whatever skills and physical abilities they had. I'd boost the abilities to match up to this world, but I'd still have them stay with the same abilities, albeit enhanced. _'I want to get to the Hokage's mansion quickly. I need someone with speed and agility. I've got just the kid. Kobayakawa Sena.' _I shifted into the short American Footballer and took off sprinting. I weaved in and out of the crowds at a much faster pace than humanly possible. While slow by my standards, by ninja standards, I was going pretty fast. Maybe barely faster than Rock Lee without his weights. _'I actually have no idea how fast he really is. The information on them is sketchy at best when it comes to physical abilities like speed. I'd never come close if he opened even one of the gates at this level.' _I was kicking up dust from running and after I neared the mansion, I shifted back into my second base form, Kaonashi. I pulled my hood down and asked the receptionist if Kakashi was seeing the Hokage._  
_

She was filling out some papers. "Yeah, you'll have to wait for him." She looked up at me and almost screamed. In the end, she didn't scream, she fainted. _'I guess she's never seen a man with no face before.'_

"I'll just go in then." I knocked on the door and entered.

I saw Kakashi standing in front of the Hokage discussing myself probably. "Hokage-sama. I'm Kaonashi."

"Kaonashi?" The Hokage managed to keep a straight face. It was probably due to how much he's dealt with. It'd take a lot to surprise him now.

"Or Shin, if you'd prefer."

"Hiruma-san? Why have you come here, looking like that?"

"It's about what you two were probably just talking about."

"About you being on Team 7 you mean?"

"Yes."

"The only way I could convince the shinobi council to let you on the team is if the team were going to be in some sort of danger. After all, one of the last Uchiha's and our jinchuriki is on that team. We can't afford to lose them."

"Well I can help with that. Not put them in danger of course. What I mean is, I'm not sure if Jiraiya already knows, but there are a group of S-class missing-nin whose purpose is to capture jinchuriki and extract their tailed beasts."

"Is there any reason you didn't tell me this before?"

"Yes. Jiraiya already knows, but why he hasn't told you, I don't know. Also, they won't be very active for a few years, probably due to monetary problems and gaining information on the locations and abilities of said jinchuriki. My point is, now you know, you can tell the council that an organization of S-class criminals are after Naruto so it'd be a pretty good idea to throw another jonin in the mix. I'd be the best pick since I'm already close to Naruto so I can stick with him. Also, there's a good chance a separate S-class missing-nin will come after Sasuke. He used to be with the organization but left due to, bad blood, I think. Basically he was being a douche and they kicked him out or he left. Anyway, that means that both the Uchiha and the jinchuriki are in probable danger. If you need any information on what my current skill level will be, I've written down some here." I handed him a piece of paper.

"Kaonashi. Very physically adept and has abilities of shapeshifting and sudden explosive increases in speed. Shapeshifting comes from bastardized kekkei genkai from ties with the Rinha clan. Rinha Clan? That's a name I haven't heard in a while. They had the ability to create perfect copies of others from absorbing their chakra right?"

"Yes. It was only able to be applied to puppets though. That's where my ability would differ. I can only apply the changes to myself and can't copy any chakra necessary abilities, for obvious reasons. Only physical abilities. I'm sure you can spin up a way to put it to the council."

"I'll obviously have to tell them that you're Hiruma Shin though, you know."

"Of course. It doesn't matter as long as nobody else really finds out."

"If there isn't anything else, I'll have a meeting as soon as possible. I'll try and have it before your test tomorrow so you know where you stand. Kakashi? You may leave as well."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." We both left.

"Kaonashi? That's an odd name."

"I'm an odd guy Kakashi. I reckon if the Hokage does have the meeting tonight, he'll inform you of the results so you can relay them to me tomorrow. I would say don't be late but I know what you're like."

"Hey, old ladies don't help themselves cross the street you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You'd probably be late for your own funeral. I've gotta get going."

"Seeya."

I shifted back into Sena and took off. I decided to pay Danzo a visit. Before arriving at his home I shifted back into Shin. I knocked on the door. Danzo answered. "Danzo-san, I have a favour to ask."

"What is it Himura?"

"You might be called into a council meeting tonight. It will be about me being placed into Team 7."

"Why?"

"The jinchuriki and the Uchiha are in possible, maybe probable danger. My point is, I want you to do whatever you can to get them to let me in."

"I guess I do owe you. It shouldn't be too hard to sway some of the other members. After all, all of the clan heads have family members in this batch of shinobi. A jonin in their midst would inherently keep them safer. I will do as you ask. You do complete assigned missions for me and get little in return. I owe you."

"Thanks Danzo-san. I knew you would help, you do wish for the safety of Konoha above all else."

"Yes. I do. Now go before anyone see's you. I only let you tell your brother about our arrangement because of your insistence that he'd keep it a secret."

"Goodbye Danzo-san"

I left. It didn't take me long to get back home. Once I got back, listening to Naruto beating the crap out of something, I flaked out on my bed.

* * *

_**Author's note: I don't know why, but this chapter feels a little iffy, to me. Anyway, I'm in the Canon now, will try to be on the team and see what happens. Don't know what else to say except thanks for reading. Sorry about the wait. Lot of work now and little time to write, so I don't think I'll be able to update as quickly as I used to.  
**_


	10. Something About Us

_Chapter 9 - Something About Us  
_

_'Thinking'_

_**'Mind talking'**_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, books, TV-shows or games.

* * *

The Next Day

In the morning, I woke Naruto up. "Time for the test Naruto. You better get some grub down your neck or you'll be hungry."

"But Kakashi said I'd throw it all up!"

"Well then you throw it up. Your choice."

Naruto decided to ignore my advice and skip breakfast. I didn't. After my breakfast, I shifted into Kaonashi and made my way to the third training ground with Naruto. I decided _not _to bring all my weapons as that would be overkill.

It was just past dawn when we arrived at the third training ground, and only Sasuke was there. "You're late, deadlast."

"Shut it asshole. Kakashi's still not here is he?" Naruto retorted.

Sasuke looked over at me. If he was surprised by my appearance, he didn't show it."Hn. Who's your friend?"

"Kaonashi."

I decided to shift myself a face, my old face should suffice for now. After giving myself facial features, Sasuke asked, "What's he doing here?"

"He might be on our team. We'll find out when Kakashi gets here."

We waited for a few hours until Kakashi finally arrived at 10:00. "Hey! Good morning!"

"You're late!" Naruto shouted at him.

"Yeah, well, a black cat crossed my path so," Kakashi coughed. "Anyway, as I'm sure you've noticed, Sakura isn't here."

"Yeah, I thought she knew how long you'd be so she was coming later. Where is she?"

"She's off the team. Well, the not yet formed Team 7. Instead, Kaonashi here will be replacing her."

_'What? This wasn't in the plan. I'll have to revise it now that Sakura isn't in the picture.'_ This is a major change I didn't foresee.

Sasuke wasn't exactly displeased by the news. "Good, a Kunoichi as weak as her shouldn't even try to be a ninja if she doesn't want it enough." _'I can't say I disagree.'_

"Kaonashi, introduce yourself"

"Sasuke, you met me yesterday. I was the wolf."

"How?"

"I have a kekkei genkai that allows me to shapeshift into any living creature, within reason, and assume all physical abilities and traits they have. I cannot copy chakra abilities though as I cannot use it. I assure you, it would be unwise to underestimate me as a result. The reason I introduced myself as a partner, like a ninken, is because I had hoped it would get me on Naruto's team. It seems that won't be necessary now. Anyway, my likes, dislikes and hobbies are the same."

"Well then," Kakashi set a clock down on the clock and hit the top. "The alarm has been set to 12:00." Sasuke and Naruto looked surprised. I just looked bored.

He held two bells up. "Here, are two bells. Your objective, is to take these from me before the time is up. Whoever doesn't have a bell by noon will miss lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those posts over there, but I'll eat right in front of you."

_'By the look on Naruto's face, I'd hazard a guess that he just figured out why Kakashi told him not to eat.'_

"As you can see, there are _two _bells, not three. That means one of you _will _be tied to the stump. One last thing, whoever fails to get a bell, fails altogether and will be sent back to the academy. So at least one of you will go back to the academy. Use any weapons you like. If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you won't be able to get a bell."

Naruto laughed. "Psh. You're so slow you can't even dodge a blackboard eraser. We'll definitely kill you!"

"In the real world, those without talent bark the loudest." Kakashi looked away from Naruto. "Well, let's ignore deadlast-san, and start when I say."

Naruto got pissed, grabbed a kunai and attacked Kakashi right away. Kakashi simply shot past him, grabbed his wrist on the way and maneuvered the kunai in Naruto's hand to point at the back of his head. "Don't be so hasty. I haven't said start yet. Well, at least you seem to have the intent to kill me, it seems you've finally acknowledged me. I think I'm starting to like you guys. Ready, begin!"

Sasuke shot off and hid in the trees, while I did the same. The only difference was that I shifted my appearance to match the trunk. It'd be impossible to see me at the angle Kakashi was looking at me. Especially with only one eye.

"The most important thing for a shinobi is to be able to hide your presence.

Naruto on the other hand, stayed exactly where he was.

"COME HERE AND FIGHT ME KAKASHI! I SAID FIGHT ME!" _'He actually seems to look even stupider when I see it personally.'_

"You're a little off Naruto."

"The only thing that's off is your haircut!" _'Wow Naruto. Low blow.'_

Naruto slid to a halt as he saw Kakashi rummage in his pouch.

"Shinobi fighting lesson #1: Taijutsu." He pulled out his infamous Icha Icha Paradise book and started reading. "What's wrong? Weren't you gonna attack me?"

"Yeah, but what's with the book?"

"I want to know what happens next. It won't make any difference against you guys though."

"I'll kick your fucking ass for that!" _'I think my mouth rubbed off a little on Naruto.'_

Naruto jumped and tried a backhand against Kakashi. He blocked it with his palm. Naruto jumped and swung his leg at his face. Kakashi ducked. Naruto landed, threw a punch. Kakashi disappeared. At least from Naruto's view. I could see he was behind Naruto, crouching, with his two first fingers on each hand pointing out. "A shinobi isn't supposed to get caught from behind, idiot." Kakashi said. '_I should at least try to save Naruto from total humiliation.' _"Naruto! Move!"

Naruto tried to spin around.

"Too late! Hidden Leaf Ancient Taijutsu Supreme Technique: 1000 Years Of Pain!" Whatever Sasuke on Naruto expected to happen, didn't. Kakashi simply thrust his fingers into Naruto's backside and propelled him far into the air. _'Did he use chakra for that? There's no way Naruto would fly that far otherwise. It's no wonder it'd hurt so much.'_

I heard Sasuke mutter. "Two complete idiots."

Naruto landed, ungracefully into the water, too surprised to use his water walking. Kakashi started reading again, giving no more thought to Naruto. Two shuriken flew out of the water and spun right at Kakashi. He simply raised two fingers and inserted them inside the shuriken to catch them. Kakashi started laughing at the feeble attempts to take him down. _'I would help, but this is a good learning experience for him, not to underestimate anyone.'_

Naruto crawled out of the river, coughing.

"Hey, what's wrong? If you don't get a bell before lunch, you'll really go hungry."

"Yeah, yeah."

"You're pretty weak for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage."

"Screw you! I can still fight on an empty stomach! I was just a little careless, that's all!"

"Carelessness can be your worst enemy you know?" Kakashi nonchalantly walked away.

Seven of Naruto's shadow clones burst out of the water.

Kakashi looked back. "Eh?"

"Carelessness is your worst enemy!"

"No matter how many you create Naruto, you can't beat me with it."

A clone latched onto Kakashi from behind. "What?! Behind me?!"

"Weren't shinobi not supposed to get caught from behind? I sent a shadow clone out of the water earlier and had him sneak up behind you!" Six of the shadow clones grabbed Kakashi while one went to punch him." My ass hurts! Here's some payback!" Naruto punched at Kakashi but hit, another Naruto. Kakashi had replaced himself with Naruto using a Kawarimi. Naruto's clones started accusing each other of being Kakashi and started a fistfight. One of them eventually had the good idea of releasing the technique and upon the release, only one was left. Looking beaten, Naruto stood by himself. I could feel the annoyance just rolling off Sasuke at this moment.

Naruto looked about and spotted a bell. "Yes! He must have dropped it in a rush to get away!" _'Did you listen to anything I taught you Naruto?'_

Upon reaching for the bell, Naruto got his ankle caught in a rope trap and was hung upside down from a tree. "What the hell is this?!"

Kakashi walked over to the bell and picked it up. "Think before using any technique, it could be used against you otherwise. Also, don't fall for such obvious traps, idiot."

"Dammit!"

"A shinobi should be able to see whats underneath the under-"

Naruto interrupted him. "I know that!"

"Um, I'm saying this because you obviously don't." I saw Sasuke shift and launch a load of kunai and shuriken right at Kakashi from behind. They hid Kakashi right in his side and took him down.

"Sasuke you asshole! You went too far!"

Suddenly, they were looking at a log with kunai and shuriken in it. Kakashi had used another replacement. _'I'm surprised they're not used more often. They seem to be very effective.'_

Sasuke took off. He knew Kakashi gave him an opening on purpose, so he could determine Sasuke's position.

Naruto cut himself down, flipped to land on his feet and promptly was pulled back up by another rope trap. He screamed in frustration. I silently moved to Sasuke's position.

Sasuke was standing in a clearing when Kakashi caught up to him. "I'm better than he is."

"Say that after you manage to grab a bell."

They stood still for a moment when Sasuke threw some shuriken and kunai at him. Kakashi dodged to the side.

"Such obvious attacks are useless," Kakashi taunted.

One of the kunai flew and cut through a rope. Kakashi jumped out of the way again as a barrage of kunai sliced through the air toward him.

As he landed, Sasuke appeared behind him and launched a flying reverse roundhouse kick at Kakashi's head. Kakashi blocked it with the back of one hand and grabbed his ankle with the other. As he did, Sasuke twisted and threw a punch at his. Kakashi grabbed the fist with his remaining hand. Sasuke took his shot, twisted upside down and launched a kick directly at the top of Kakashi's head. Kakashi moved the arm holding Sasuke's fist to the side and blocked the kick with his forearm.

Sasuke was in the perfect position now. Upside down, right next to the bells with both of Kakashi's hands occupied, he made a grab at them. As Sasuke's fingers were curling around a bell, Kakashi let go of him and jumped back.

"Well, I guess I have to agree that you're different from Naruto."

"Bah." Sasuke started making handseals. Ending on Tiger, he took a deep breath.

Kakashi started. He knew a fireball was coming so he waited for the final possible moment and sunk himself into the ground.

After the fire settled, Sasuke looked around for him. "Below you." Sasuke froze, he barely had enough time to look down when a hand shot out of the ground, grabbed his ankle and pulled him down, burying him up to his neck.

Kakashi was now crouching, facing Sasuke. "Shinobi fighting lesson #3: Ninjutsu. It's a shame Kaonashi doesn't have chakra otherwise I could have showed you the second lesson. Well, I will admit you are better than most of the rest at both ninjutsu and taijutsu, but hey, they say the nail that stands out, gets hammered down. Heh."

"Damn you!"

Kakashi left, he'd find Naruto about to chow down on some lunch boxes when he got to him. I decided to give Sasuke a helping hand. _'Foster good teamwork and all that."_

I jumped down to Sasuke's head. "You know, you should use your head more."

"Hn."

"Hey, I thought it was pretty funny. Anyway, need a hand?"

"No, I can get out myself." I watched him shuffle about for a few seconds before pulling him out. "I said I could do it myself."

"Yeah, I know. It's just that we won't be able to take any jonin down without working as a team. Especially Kakashi."

"Why 'especially'?"

"Because he's arguably the strongest shinobi in Konoha. All I'm saying is that if you want to take him down, we should work together. Let's grab Naruto."

"Hn. Fine."

The bell rung.

"12:00. Times up. Let's head back."

* * *

Back At The Logs

Sasuke and I sat on either side of a tied up Naruto.

"Well, you guys seem pretty hungry," Kakashi said. He then looked at me suspiciously. "Some of you, anyway."

"Yeah, I had breakfast. I figured it'd be better to eat and maybe throw up, than not eat and have no energy. Told you Naruto."

"Screw you!"

"Right. Well anyway, about the training, I don't think there's any need for you to go back to the academy."

Naruto was ecstatic. "Really! Then, all three of us?" He left the question unfinished.

"Yes. All three of you, should quit as shinobi!"

Naruto was pissed. "What the hell do you mean?!"

"Exactly what I said. You three are simply punks who don't deserve to be ninjas.

Sasuke rushed at Kakashi and tried to punch him. Kakashi had his foot on Sasuke's head and was sitting on him in less than a second.

"That's what I mean by you're all just punks. Don't underestimate what it means to become a shinobi. Why do you think you were divided into teams and are doing this training?"

Naruto was confused.

"To put it simply, you don't understand the answer to this test."

"Answer?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. If you knew the answer, you would pass."

"Damn it! What's the answer already?!" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi glared. "It's teamwork." Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes widened. "If the three of you worked together, you may have gotten the bells."

I put my bit in. "But Kakashi, there are only two bells! Wouldn't that mean one of us would fail? That'd discourage teamwork."

"Of course. That's the purpose of this test. To cause you to fight amongst yourselves. To see if you can overcome that, forget about your own interests and successfully work as a team, in these circumstances. Yet you guys, Naruto, you just ran around by yourself. Sasuke, you just assumed that everyone would just get in your way, and Kaonashi, you just observed, not even helping."

"Hey! I helped Sasuke out of the ground after you left!"

"Yes, well that makes you a better team player than the other two combined. The point is, duties are completed as a team. While superior abilities are important to any ninja, the most important aspect is teamwork. Going lone wolf in a way that places your team in danger, even get you killed. For example," Kakashi pulled out a kunai and held it to Sasuke's throat. "Kaonashi! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!"

"WHAT!" Naruto seemed a little scared.

Kakashi pulled back his kunai and got off Sasuke. "You see? If a hostage was taken, you will be forced to make tough decisions, it will usually end up with one of you dead. After all, a shinobi must be willing to risk their lives in their duties." Kakashi made his way over to the memorial stone and placed his hand on it. "Look at this stone. The names carved upon it for all time. These names are the ones of ninjas who are recognized as heroes of Konoha."

"Hey! I want my name on there too! A hero! That's what I'll be!" Naruto shouted at him.

"Not too soon, Naruto," I said to him. He looked at me, confused.

"But, they aren't just normal heroes," Kakashi said.

"Oh yeah? What kind are they?" Naruto asked. Kakashi was silent. "Well?"

"They are all heroes who died in the line of duty."

Naruto looked down, ashamed.

"This is a memorial. My best friends name is also carved into it." Kakashi turned around and faced us. "You guys. I'll give you one last chance. But after lunch, I'll make it even tougher to get the bells. I'll let those who still wish to challenge me to eat lunch. Naruto or Kaonashi won't be having any though."

"Hey! Why can't I?" I asked. _'I already know the reason why, probably because it wouldn't be much of a sacrifice to hand Naruto my food. It wouldn't be much of a sign of teamwork.'_

"Because you've already eaten. Naruto, you can't eat as punishment for trying to eat by yourself." Kakashi picked up one of the two lunchboxes, opened it and started to eat. "If anyone gives him their food, they will fail immediately!" Kakashi locked his eye on us. "I am the rules here. My word is law. Got it?" He shot off.

"Hey, I don't need any food! I'm fine!" Naruto couldn't lie very well when his stomach was betraying him with it's rumbling.

Sasuke started eating. Naruto looked down.

"Here." Sasuke held his lunchbox in front of Naruto.

"But Sasuke, didn't Kakashi say you'd fail if you tried to give Naruto any?" I asked.

"Don't worry, I can't sense him anywhere near us. After lunch, we'll work together, like you said, to get the bells. Without food, he'll just be a reliability. It'll just harm our chances."

I grabbed the box. "Here, I'll feed you Naruto."

"Sure nii-san."

I was about to place some food in his mouth when Kakashi burst on the scene.

"WHAT IS THIS?! YOU GUYS," He was standing right in front of us, glaring. His face brightened. "All pass! Heh."

"Huh?" Naruto was speechless.

"You guys are the first."

"The first?"

"The first team I've passed. Everyone else would simply follow my orders and abandon their teammates. They were all morons. A ninja must be able to see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules ans codes of the ninja world are trash. But those who would abandon their comrades, they are even lower than trash."

Naruto was looking at him as if he was the coolest guy to set foot on this planet. "Jeez Naruto, why don't you build a shrine dedicated to him."

"Oy, piss off 'Nashi."

"Woah, don't blow a gasket Naruto. I might get worried about you."

"Whatever."

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Anyway, that ends the training." He gave us a thumbs up. "All of you pass! Starting tomorrow, Team 7 will begin it's duties!"

"YAY! I DID IT! NINJA! NINJA! NINJA!" Naruto seemed pretty happy about it, flapping about, tied to the log.

"Let's go." Sasuke and I got up and followed Kakashi.

"HEY! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!" Naruto screamed at us. "Dammit! I knew this would happen! Untie me!"

"Hey, you're a ninja now," I said to him. "You should be able to get out of a couple of ropes."

"What the hell?! You're my brother! Shouldn't you be helping me?"

"I could help you, or I could give you a chance to try out your skills."

"You just can't be bothered!"

"That too." I admitted.

"Damn you nii-san!"

As we walked away from Naruto's screams, Sasuke asked me about my relation with Naruto.

"Oh, I'm his brother. Not biologically though. More like an adoption." Sasuke decided not to pry in more. Probably didn't care enough.

* * *

A little later, outside Kakashi's house with him, I asked him what happened in the council meeting.

"I wasn't there but the Hokage gave me a brief summary of what happened. Basically, when the Hokage put forward the idea, the council wouldn't have any of it. For one, you can't enter the Chuunin exams with four people. Never mind the advantage you'd have."

"But what about what I said about my power restrictions?" I asked.

"That swayed them a little, the numbers problem was still something that needed to be addressed. In the end, Danzo simply proposed that we take Sakura off the team and allocate her to the next batch. In his opinion, she is nowhere near what a shinobi must be, or even act like. I don't disagree."

"Me neither. She's too boy obsessed, or more specifically, Sasuke obsessed. Being away from the source should allow her to train herself better."

Kakashi continued. "After the Hokage told the council about the possible, and probable threats to the two, they didn't take long to come to the conclusion that you would be allowed on the team. Sakura was off, you are on. The Hokage made sure that the secret wouldn't get out of the council room."

"That's something at least. Now that you know about the threats, what do you think about the decision?"

"I am one of the most elite jonin in Konoha. I used to be an ANBU. But even I can't watch both of them at the same time. In the chuunin exams, I'll have to part with the team and if there was any other reason for me to be separated, there needs to be someone strong enough to protect them. At your full power, even I couldn't beat you. At your restricted power, I could beat you, at a push."

"I agree. Although, with my ability for instantaneous explosive increases in speed, I could easily get the drop on you." To prove it, I activated Quicksilver to it's current, full power. I had improved it down to 5% so I could move 20x faster than normal. Quicker than he could see, I shot my hand out into his pack, grabbed his Icha Icha book and hid it behind my back. I deactivated it.

"Well. That was fast. I couldn't see what you did though." I showed him. "Hey! Give that back!"

"Sure." I chucked it to him. "That's what I mean by getting the drop on you. With your eye, you could follow my movements. Your other eye I mean."

"Probably. I couldn't say if I could keep up with you though. You're pretty fast when you do that."

"Right now, I can only go up to 20x faster. When I've fully mastered it, I can go up to a maximum of 100x faster. Not only that, but an ability will unlock, related to this one. I don't know what it'll be though. Anyway, I better get going."

"Bye."

* * *

Some Days Later, In The Forest

"What's the distance to the target?" Kakashi whispered through his mic.

"Five meters. I'm ready when you guys are." I answered.

"I'm ready." Sasuke replied.

"Me too." Naruto added.

We waited tentatively for the order. After a few seconds, it came. "GO!"

Sasuke and Naruto circled around the back of the target while I shifted into the biggest, baddest looking, Siberian tiger and roared a command for the target to stop, asserting my dominance.

Needless to say, the target must have been about to have a heart attack. It froze and I walked over to the target, lowered my head and picked up the small, brown cat, 'Tora' in my jaws. After I was sure it wouldn't scarper, I shifted back to Kaonashi and held the cat in my arms.

"You know, if I have to catch this cat one more time, I'm gonna eat it and hand the remains back to that woman." I threatened.

"Real mature 'Nashi." Naruto said.

"We've caught the target Kakashi." Sasuke told him over the radio.

"Good. Lost pet 'Tora', search mission, complete."

We made our way back.

* * *

Hokage Mansion

"Oh Tora-chan! I was so worried!" The Fire daimyo's wife, Madam Shijimi, was currently hugging the life out of the cat.

"Thank you for finding him again!" She said to us.

"No problem." I replied.

She left and the Hokage began reading out our next missions.

"Now, Team 7, your next duty is, hmm, babysitting an Elder's grandson, shopping in the neighboring village and help with the potato digging."

Naruto was a little miffed at this. "No! No! NO! I want a better mission! If I have to keep doing that crap I'll go crazy!"

Iruka was annoyed at Naruto's outburst. "Naruto! You're just a rookie! Everyone starts with the small jobs and works their way up!"

"But all we're getting is the crappy jobs!"

Kakashi knocked Naruto on the head. "Be quiet."

The Hokage intervened. "Naruto! It seems I will have to explain the reasons for these duties. Listen, every day, the village receives numerous requests, from babysitting, to assassinations. Each request is written down, and given a ranking, from D-rank, to S-rank, based on difficulty. The village is also divided based on skill. Starting with me, followed by jonin's, chuunin's and finally, genin's. The missions are then handed out to us based on our skill level and the difficulty of the mission. If the mission is completed successfully, we receive payment from the client."

He pointed at us. "You guys, you have only just recently become genin. D-rank missions are perfect for you."

Naruto was muttering to himself about ramen, looking away from the Hokage.

"Hey! Listen to me!"

Kakashi apologized.

"Geez! All you do is give lectures. But you know something? I'm not the same brat I used to be!" Naruto exclaimed.

The Hokage and Iruka smiled. "Ok," The Hokage said. "If you want it so much, I'll give you a C-rank mission. It's a protection mission for the client."

"Who?! A princess? A feudal lord?"

"Calm down, I'm about to introduce him." He looked over to his right. "Hey, you can come in now."

A man stumbled in. "Hey, what's this?" He had a bottle of alcohol in his hand. "They're all a bunch of brats. Especially the shortest one with the stupid face."

Naruto started looking at us to find out which one he meant.

I pointed at Naruto. "He means you dumbass. It's no wonder he thinks you have a stupid face."

"I'LL KILL YOU ASSHOLE!" I grabbed Naruto before he managed to fail the mission before we even started, by killing the client himself.

"Naruto, you wanted a C-rank, you've got one. Try not to get all bent out of shape and kill the client." I chided.

The client introduced himself. Taking another swig of his beer, he said, "I am the bridge building expert, Tazuna. I expect you to provide me with top quality protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."

After we sorted out the fine print, we left for the main gate.

* * *

Main Gate

"Alright! Let's go!" Naruto shouted.

"Jeez Naruto, just because this is your first time going further out of the village than the woods, you make it sound like we're going to the other side of the world." I said to him.

Naruto was still looking about when Tazuna expressed his doubt of the abilities of the blonde ninja.

"Well, I;m a jonin, so don't worry." Kakashi said.

Naruto was displeased at the lack of faith. "Hey old man! Don't mess with ninjas! I'm an awesome ninja! One day, I'll become the Hokage! The name's Uzumaki Naruto! Remember it!"

"The Hokage is the villages #1 ninja, right? I doubt someone like you could be one."

"Shut it! I'm willing to do anything to become Hokage and when I do, you'll have to respect me!"

Tazuna took another swig of his beer. "No I won't. Even if you did become Hokage."

Naruto's eye was twitching. He exploded. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Kakashi grabbed him before he could do anything. "Stop it, moron. Kaonashi already told you."

"Yeah Naruto. Stop fucking about." I ordered him. Even if we were the same rank in this appearance, I was still his older brother, and a jonin.

"Alright." Naruto pouted. "But if he keeps annoying me, I can't say I won't punch him."

"Fair enough. Tazuna? Try not to annoy the little kid."

"Oy! I'm not a kid!"

"Well if you're not, stop acting like it."

Naruto stopped shouting and we started to walk.

* * *

On The Way

Kakashi had explained to us the reasons for Hidden Villages and why some countries don't have them, to pass the time. After walking for a while longer, I noticed a puddle on the ground. _'I thought it was a genjutsu. I guess it's a ninjutsu otherwise it wouldn't affect me.' _ I saw Kakashi glance at the 'puddle' as we walked past and a few seconds later, one of the two, threw the other over and past Kakashi. When he landed, the chain attached between the two from gauntlets on their hands, coiled around Kakashi and tightened.

"One down." They pulled the chain tight and pulled Kakashi apart.

As the remains fell to the ground, Naruto shouted. "Kakashi-sensei!" The two enemy ninja appeared behind Naruto.

"Second one." As the chain was about to wrap around Naruto, Sasuke jumped in the air and launched a shuriken to pin the chain to the trees, and a kunai to secure it.

The two enemy ninja were stuck. Sasuke dropped down on their gauntlets, grabbed them with his hands and launched both feet into both their faces.

The two detached the chain, ran around to attack both Naruto and Tazuna simultaneously, so Sasuke wouldn't have a chance to stop both of them.

"Sasuke! Stop the one going for Naruto!" I shouted. Shifting into my favourite boxer, Takamura, I stood in front of Tazuna. I couldn't see what Sasuke did but as the ninja approached me, with his gauntlet pointing at me, in an orthodox boxing stance, I stepped forward, slipped my head to the right of the arm and launched a devastating uppercut right his jaw. I shattered his mask, probably his jaw as well. He dropped to the ground, instantly unconscious.

As Kakashi appeared with the other ninja under his arm, I shifted back. "So, how did we do?" I asked.

"What the hell Kakashi?! I thought you died!" Naruto shouted.

"Naruto, sorry for not helping earlier. I seem to have got you hurt. At least Sasuke managed to stop the ninja before he hurt you too much. I didn't think you wouldn't be able to move." Kakashi turned back to us. "Good job Sasuke. Kaonashi, you performed excellently. You seem to be a natural leader. I reckon you could be in charge of the team if I am indisposed." _'It's the only logical choice. If either Sasuke of Naruto was the second in command, neither of them would listen to the other. Both of them respect me and my abilities at least.'_

"Thank you Kakashi." I said.

Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Hey, are you hurt? Scaredy Cat?"

Naruto almost blew a gasket. "Naruto! Don't rise to it. Sasuke, I'm sure that the first time you were in a situation like this, you froze too." I said.

Sasuke looked reproachful as he remembered that night. "Sorry Naruto." He said.

"No problem." Naruto replied.

"Right, now that you've finished your lover's spat, Naruto, the claws on the gauntlets were laced with poison. You'll need to get that treated." I said. "We'll have to open the wound and let the poisoned blood out. Try not to move too much, or it'll spread quicker."

"How do you know that they're poisoned?" Naruto asked.

"I checked, after I decked this sack of shit over here." I told him.

Kakashi told Tazuna he needed to talk to him, and tied the ninja he was carrying to a tree. I threw the one laying here, over to him. "Oy Kakashi! You forgot one!"

"Thanks." He said, and tied the other one to the same tree.

Kakashi informed us where they were from. "These two are chuunin level ninja from the Hidden Village of Mist. Ninjas there are known to keep fighting, no matter what."

"How did you read our movements? The one with the busted jaw, managed to ask.

"On a sunny day like this, when it hasn't rained in ages, a puddle really shouldn't exist." Tazuna asked why Kakashi let us fight them, knowing they were there. "If I wanted to, I could have killed both of them instantly, but then, I wouldn't know how well my team would do in an actual fight. Also, I needed to know who they were after. Us, or you. We hadn't heard of any shinobi after you. Our mission was to protect you from thieves and gangs, not ninja. This is now at least a B-rank mission. Simple protection from simple threats is a C-rank. You were dishonest with the threat level. If we knew about the ninja, you would have paid a much more expensive amount for a B-rank. I don't know the circumstances but what I do know is, we are now operating outside of our duties."

I piped up. "Naruto needs someone to look at his wound and let the blood out. We can't continue with him in his condition."

"Well. This is a pickle. I guess we'll have to go back home to cure Naruto." Kakashi watched Naruto out of the corner of his eye.

Naruto couldn't take it any longer. He realized now that he was nowhere near the level he needed to be. Grabbing a kunai, he stabbed himself into the back of his hand, where the poisoned wound was and blood flowed out.

"Naruto! Be careful with that!" I said.

"Upon my blood, with this kunai, I will protect the old man." He grimaced. "We're continuing the mission!"

"For fuck's sake you nob. While I admire your spirit, you're gonna bleed to death if you don't bandage that." I told him.

Naruto started sweating.

"He's right Naruto, you need to stop the bleeding. Seriously." Kakashi said.

"NO NO NO NO NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Naruto started waving his arms about.

"Give me your hand Naruto." I told him. He gave me his hand but was still moving about. "STOP FUCKING MOVING ABOUT BEFORE I CHOP THE THING OFF NARUTO!" I screamed at him. He stopped immediately and sat down.

"Thank you." I watched the wound very slowly heal and bandaged it before Sasuke, or Naruto noticed. "There you go. You'll be fine."

Tazuna was talking to Kakashi behind us about the man who was after him. Gatou. He was explaining about his operation and how he was bleeding the country dry. "The only thing we can do is build that bridge and bring in a new source of income. Without that bridge finished, we have nothing. That's why Gatou wants me dead."

He looked down. "Well, if you quit the mission now, I'll definitely be killed."

"But-" Kakashi said.

"Don't worry! If I die, my cute little 8 year old grandson will only cry for a few weeks! Oh yeah, and my daughter will live a sad life hating Konoha ninja forever! But it won't be your fault at all!"

Kakashi rubbed his head. "Well, I guess we'll finish the mission after all."

I could have sworn I saw a smirk on Tazuna's face.

We left after Kakashi sent a message to Konoha about the ninja. They were to be taken into custody.

* * *

On A Boat To Wave Country

We sat silently on the boat as the oarsman took us to the bridge that was being built. "Wave country starts at the base of the bridge." He told us.

It soon came into view. "It's huge!" Naruto exclaimed.

I grabbed him into a headlock and clamped my hand around his mouth. "Naruto? Did you forget that we're sneaking in here? Why do you think we're not using the engine?" _'The technology of this world is very weird. This boat has an engine. Why isn't there any other type of engine knocking about?' _I let it go, Naruto too.

"Sorry," Naruto said.

The oarsman informed us that we were almost there. Upon rowing us under a low bridge arch, we were greeted by a clear view of a lush landscape. We were rowing up a calm river, with the town, either side. After the oarsman dropped us off, he left.

"Alright! Time to take me home!" Tazuna said.

"Yeah yeah." Kakashi replied.

We walked for a while until Naruto got a little itchy and ran in front, looking for an enemy.

"There!" He threw a kunai into the bushes. Tazuna almost shit his pants. Nothing happened. "Heh," he smiled nonchalantly. "Just a mouse."

"Dammit you midget! Don't do that!" Tazuna shouted at him.

"Please don't use your weapons like that Naruto." Kakashi told him. I was barely stifling a laugh. Naruto had started looking again, saying how he's seeing enemies everywhere.

Kakashi glanced over to his side. Naruto threw another kunai right to where he looked. "There!" He shouted.

"Naruto, stop pissing about." I said.

"But I really sensed someone that time!"

"So, you didn't the first time?" I asked.

"Uh," he looked at Kakashi. "What's Kakashi doing?" He changed the subject. Walking over to him, Naruto saw he had almost hit a white rabbit with his kunai. The poor rabbit was shell-shocked. Naruto started comforting the poor rabbit and apologized to it. Kakashi though, he was searching for an enemy. He had realized that any rabbit in this climate wouldn't be white. The more sun it get's, the darker it's fur, therefore a white rabbit couldn't be wild. I increased the sensitivity of my hearing and listened in for the location of Zabuza. I knew he was watching. Suddenly, I heard a slicing in the air and Kakashi yelled for us to duck. A second after I narrowly dodged the huge, cleaver-esque sword, it spun and embedded itself into the tree behind me. Another second later, a man fell from the air and landed on the handle, back to us. He was shirtless, with arm warmers and bandages covering the lower portion of his face. _'Momochi Zabuza.' _

"Well well, if it isn't the infamous Demon of the mist, Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi greeted him. Naruto was about to rush Zabuza before Kakashi stopped him. "He's way above you're level Naruto. He's at least at the same level as me." Kakashi raised his hand to his headband. "He'll be a tough to beat, unless I do this."

"You appear to be Sharingan Kakashi." Sasuke turned his head sharply at this, eying Kakashi. "Sorry, but the old man is mine."

Kakashi grabbed his headband. "Surround Tazuna-san. Stay out of the fight. That is the teamwork here. Zabuza," He slowly lifted his headband, uncovering his scarred eye, and the famous dojutsu. "I'll be your opponent."

"Ah, I already get to see the oh so famous sharingan. I'm honoured." He turned to face us fully.

Naruto couldn't hold it in any longer. "You've been going on about this 'sharingan'. What the hell is it?!"

Sasuke answered him. "The sharingan. It is said that some dojutsu have the ability to read and completely defeat all genjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu. The sharingan is one of these types of dojutsu. But, that's not the only ability the sharingan has."

Zabuza chuckled. "That's right. The scary part is, the sharingan can copy your opponents techniques, just from seeing them once." A mist descended onto the area. "When I was a member of the hidden mist assassination squad, I kept a handbook. There was information of you in it. It said, 'The man who has copied over a thousand jutsu, Copy Ninja Kakashi'.

Naruto started praising the awesomeness that was his sensei at this point. Sasuke, on the other hand, was very suspicious. The sharingan only manifests in the Uchiha clan after all, and Kakashi was obviously not, an Uchiha.

Zabuza crouched. "Let's end the chit-chat. I'm gonna kill the old man."

I gave some orders. "Naruto, Sasuke, either side of Tazuna. I'll take the front. Naruto, make a few clones to keep an eye out for any surprise attacks."

"Okay." Naruto made four clones who made a square formation a few meters around us. Naruto and Sasuke grabbed kunai while I left myself bare handed.

"But, it seems I'm gonna have to kill you first." Zabuza said, moments before grabbing the hilt of his sword, and kicking off the tree, taking his sword with him.

Naruto shouted out. "Over there! He's on top of the lake!"

Zabuza was using an odd handseal, releasing a high amount of chakra. "Ninpou, Hidden Mist no Jutsu." Zabuza faded into the mist.

"He disappeared!" Naruto said.

"He will try to take me out first, but, you should be very careful. His name is Momochi Zabuza, e was in the Hidden Mist's ANBU and renowned for his silent killing techniques. The effectiveness of my sharingan is reduced in this mist, be careful. If you're not, you'll be dead before you know it."

The mist thickened and Kakashi disappeared from view. "The mist is getting thicker!" Naruto said.

"Thank you Captain Obvious! If I wanted to hear you point out something I already know, I'd start paying you. You're very good at it." I said jokingly.

"Well you're pretty laid-back nii-san," Naruto replied.

"Of course! You don't think some lowly ANBU missing-nin who is renowned and in the bingo books for his impressive silent killing techniques, and earned the moniker 'Demon of the Mist' for killing the entire class without even entering the academy, could beat me, do you?" I asked.

"Probably not." Naruto said.

"Thank you."

Sasuke was just looking at me, with a raised eyebrow like I was crazy.

"8 choices." Zabuza's voice cut through the mist. "Liver, lungs, spine, larynx, jugular, brain, kidneys, heart. Now, which vital organ do you want to be killed by?"

Kakashi expelled a burst of chakra which cleared some of the surrounding mist. I felt a strong chill down my spine. _'So this is what it feels like. Bloodlust. I would have thought it wouldn't affect me since I have no chakra. I'd thought it was a form of genjutsu. I thought wrong. It really is making me shiver a little. The upside is that I might be able to do this someday.' _Sasuke gripped his kunai tight.

Kakashi called to him. "Sasuke! Don't worry. I'll protect you with my life." He looked back. I don't let my comrades die."

"Let's put that to the test." Zabuza said, his voice coming from right above us. He landed right in the middle of the group. _'Fat lot of good those clones were.' _"This is the end." Kakashi's eyes widened as he was about to come to our aid.

As Sasuke and Naruto jumped backwards,I snapped a lighting fast back kick and hit Zabuza right in the stomach. My foot went right through him and he bled water. "It's a water clone Kakashi! Watch out!" Zabuza had appeared in Kakashi's blind spot and swung his sword at him. Cutting Kakashi in half, Kakashi dissolved into water. Zabuza froze as he realized first hand, the power of the sharingan. Kakashi held a kunai to his throat from behind him.

"Don't move." Kakashi ordered. "This, is the end." Kakashi repeated Zabuza's comment.

Zabuza just laughed. "Is this the end?" He asked.

"You don't understand," Kakashi said. "You cannot defeat me with such indiscriminate imitations. I can assure you of that."

Zabuza chuckled. "That was pretty impressive. You'd already copied the water clone technique before I even got into the group. You had your clone say those words to attract my attention, while the real you stayed in the mist and watched. Nice plan, but," Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. "I'm also not that easy." The Zabuza in front of Kakashi dissolved as the real Zabuza swung his sword diagonally upwards to eliminate Kakashi.

Kakashi dropped down to dodge the first swing, the sword continued until it embedded itself into the ground. Zabuza let go, grabbed the sword again with one hand and used his full power to launch a kick to Kakashi's midsection. Kakashi flew backwards. Zabuza started running towards him, dragging his sword along with him. Suddenly stopping, he muttered, "Foolish." He'd noticed the caltrops Kakashi dropped as he flew through the air. Kakashi landed in the lake, and pulled himself up, with more effort than seemed necessary. Zabuza appeared behind him. "Heh. Fool." He quickly made handseals, and using the chakra imbued water, performed a water prison jutsu to hold Kakashi. Kakashi was surrounded by a sphere of water.

Zabuza placed his hand inside the sphere. "You fell for it." Zabuza taunted. "This is a special prison you can't escape from. You gave me a hard time when you were on the move. Now then Kakashi, I'm going to finish you off later. First, I'll get rid of them," He faced us. Making a one handed handseal, Zabuza created a water clone. Naruto was bricking it right now.

"Hehe. You think that wearing those forehead protectors make you ninja. You aren't a ninja until you've survived numerous brushes with death. In other words, you're only a ninja when you're in my bingo book. You, are not ninja." He thickened the mist once more. I activated my infrared vision to track him. _'Finally get to have a proper use for this.' _Tracking his heat signature, I moved over to Naruto, who I knew he'd be attacking first. Standing aside Naruto, Zabuza appeared and launched a kick to Naruto's head. As his foot hit Naruto's forehead protector, it came loose and I grabbed his foot with my hand. "Naruto! Are you alright?" I asked.

Naruto fell back, scared of the power of a true ninja.

"Pathetic. At least one of your little group has some balls." I'm at least 80% sure he's referring to me.

"Take Tazuna-san and run! As long as he's keeping me trapped, he can't move! The water clone can only go so far away from him before it dissolves! Just run!" Kakashi shouted.

Naruto looked like he was about to follow his advice before picking up his dropped forehead protector. "Good choice Naruto." I dropped the clone's foot.

"Listen to me you eyebrowless freak." Naruto tied it on his head. "The one who'll become Hokage, is me! Uzumaki Naruto!" He faced Sasuke and I. "Listen! I have a plan."

"I guess I'll follow your lead on this one Naruto." I jumped away from the clone.

Kakashi seemed to have more faith in the team this time though, as he didn't tell us to run away again. After all, I was here to make sure the two were safe.

"Are you ready?" Naruto asked.

"Pft. Do you even need to ask?" Sasuke replied.

Zabuza started laughing again. "You guys'll never grow up! Still playing at ninja. When I was about your age, my hands were already caked in blood."

"You're not gonna go on your little spiel about how you got the name Demon of the Mist are you?" I asked.

Zabuza seemed both pissed and surprised. "How do you know that? You're just a genin."

"I make it my job to know. Besides, I told these guys a minute ago. Didn't you hear? Well I only told them you killed a class before entering the academy, I'll let you tell them why." I allowed him.

He raised an eyebrowless eyebrow. "Fine. In the hidden mist, there was a graduation exam, different from everyone else's."

"What was it?" Naruto asked.

"You had to fight to the death with the other students." He said. "Friends who had trained together, laughed together, friends who had shared one anothers' dreams, were pitted against each other in a fight, only ended by the death of the other."

Naruto was shocked.

"10 years ago, I came in. I was not even a ninja then I walked straight into the academy, and slaughtered over a hundred students." He smiled. "That sure was fun."

He looked straight at Sasuke and, moving faster than he could see, appeared next to him and threw an elbow into his gut. After Sasuke stopped tumbling from the force, Zabuza was about to drop an elbow onto Sasuke again before I sprinted up to him and attempted a dropkick. He noticed me before I connected, leaned back and watched as I flew past. I righted myself mid air and landed ahead of him.

Naruto spammed about a hundred clones who piled atop Zabuza, stopping him. It didn't last long though as Zabuza started spinning with his sword and slicing through them all. Naruto grabbed a fuuma shuriken from his backpack and chucked it to Sasuke. Sasuke jumped in the air, caught it, landed and unfurled it. He jumped back in the air and launched it. The water clone barely had time to react as the shuriken didn't go for him, but past him and headed for the real Zabuza.

"I see, you're aiming for the real me. But," He caught the shuriken mid air with his remaining hand, "that's not enough!"

Another shuriken appeared in his view, coming from right next to the first. "Another?!" It was heading right for his waist.

"But," he jumped over it. "It's still not enough!" Suddenly, the shuriken he dodged, exploded into smoke and revealed Naruto, wielding a kunai.

Instantly, Naruto launched the kunai he was holding right at Zabuza. Zabuza had both hands occupied and he wouldn't be able to jump away from this one without disengaging the technique. As his eyes bulged, he realized it was his only choice. Removing his hand from the sphere, he jumped away and almost completely dodged the kunai. It ended up cutting his cheek. Zabuza was pissed. "Damn brat!" He got ready to throw the shuriken at Naruto, but as he was about to throw it, Kakashi stopped it with the back of his hand, drawing blood.

Naruto landed on the water, surprising Kakashi. Sasuke didn't look surprised though. "Great plan Naruto. You've really grown." Kakashi praised him.

"When I made a load of the shadow clones, they weren't supposed to beat Zabuza but distract him so I could transform into the shuriken without him noticing. I had another clone act as me to fool him. You know the rest." Naruto said.

"Heh. I just got distracted and released the technique." Zabuza said.

"No, you didn't release it. You were forced to." Kakashi countered. "I'll tell you now that I won't fall for the same trick twice. Now, what will you do?"

At that moment, both of them jumped away from each other. Immediately, Zabuza started making handseals. Kakashi mirrored him perfectly. After making the thirty or so necessary handseals, they both shouted, "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" Twin dragons of water rose from the lake and started circling each other. After a few seconds, they crashed into each other and destroyed themselves. There were massive waves now, on the lake. "Naruto! Get over here! It's dangerous to stand and watch two high level ninja battle, while on the battlefield!" I shouted to him. Naruto started running towards me, around Kakashi. As he reached dry land, the land wasn't so dry anymore. Nor I. The waves had crashed onto the land and drenched the four of us. As the waves started to settle, I could see Zabuza in front of Kakashi, trying to overpower him with his sword. Kakashi was holding him back with just his kunai.

They jumped back from each other again. Kakashi still mirroring Zabuza. They circled each other 180 degrees and stopped. They then both made the same seal Zabuza made, before disappearing into the mist. As they moved their arms down, Kakashi said, "predicted by him."

Zabuza was stunned. They both made a handseal. "Freaky eye is pissing me off! Right?" Kakashi finished Zabuza's thought again. _'From my viewpoint, Kakashi just looks crazy, saying random shit.'_

"All you're doing is copying me, nothing original." Zabuza said. Then simultaneously, they both said, "You can't beat me, you monkey!"

Zabuza got really pissed. "I'll make sure you won't be able to open that copycat mouth of yours again!" He started making handseals. Kakashi finished first. A giant funnel of water exploded out from in front of him and pummeled Zabuza. Once The water cleared, Zabuza was leaning against a tree, battered and bruised.

"It's over," Kakashi said, crouching on a branch above Zabuza.

"How?" Zabuza looked up. "Can you see the future?"

"Yes, and I see your death." At that moment, two senbon pierced Zabuza's neck, dropping him instantly. Zabuza fell lifelessly to the ground and everyone looked for the attacker.

"You're right. He did die." A masked man said from the trees. He was wearing a porcelain mask, with the Hidden Mist symbol on it, a dark green haori and a brown sash.

Kakashi jumped down and checked for a pulse on Zabuza. He found none. "He really is dead."

"Thank you very much. I have been tracking Zabuza for a long time and have been unable to find an opening to strike. Thankfully, you gave me that opening." The man said.

"That mask," Kakashi stared at him, "You're a Hidden Mist hunter-nin, right?"

"Impressive, you're correct."

"Hunter-nin?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, don't you remember? I told you about them a while ago," I said. "They're the guys who track down and eliminate missing-nins. It's pretty impressive for a kid as young as him to be a hunter-nin."

Naruto looked from Zabuza to the masked man again. "What the hell! Who are you!" He suddenly shouted.

"Naruto! What the actual fuck?! I just told you who he is!" I shouted back at him.

"That's not what I mean! That Zabuza, the one who even you had trouble taking down, was taken out by a kid!" He said.

"Naruto," I said. "Don't get pissed because he showed you up, get stronger."

"He's right Naruto," Kakashi added. "In this world, there are people who are younger than you, but stronger than me."

The masked man, Haku, disappeared and reappeared next to Zabuza's body. "Your battle is now over. I will take the body and dispose of it. After all, it is a body that holds many secrets. Farewell." He disappeared again.

"He's gone!" Naruto exclaimed.

I punched him in the back of the head. "Naruto, what did I say about my not wanting to be told about every obvious little thing?"

He rubbed his head. "Whatever."

Kakashi replaced his forehead protector over his eye. "Well, we still have to get Tazuna-san back home. Let's go."

"Thanks guys!" Tazuna said. "Come to my place and relax!" At that moment, Kakashi fell flat on his face. _'Ooh, maybe I should have caught him. Well, whatever. I'll be carrying him anyway.'_

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"It's chakra exhaustion." I told him. "I'll carry him to the house." After we picked up the weapons lying about, and I picked up Kakashi, we made out way to Tazuna's.

* * *

_**Author's note: Pretend I wrote something meaningful here. I can't think of anything.  
**_


	11. Face Your Demons, Or Other People's

_Chapter 10 - Face Your Demons, Or Other People's  
_

'Thinking'

**'Mind talking'**

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, books, TV-shows or games.

* * *

At Tazuna's House

"Are you alright?" Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami asked.

"Yeah, I just won't be able to move much, for a week or so." Kakashi said. I had treated him while he was unconscious, using my vast array of medical knowledge I had acquired over years of intense research. _'By years of extensive research, I of course mean, the in built library of knowledge implanted into my head. At least I know more than just basic survival skills, there's probably little I can't find in here.'_

"Well, at least we defeated that strong ninja!" Tazuna said. "We should be safe for a while."

"Who was that masked kid, really?" Naruto asked.

"He was wearing the mask of a Hidden Mist special hunter-nin team. They are also known as body erasers. Basically, their duty is to completely dispose of the body, leaving no trace. A ninja's body holds many secrets. Information on different chakra types, herbs, and other things that would reveal secrets of the village." Kakashi told him. "For example, if I died, the secrets of the sharingan could be revealed. If you're not careful, even in death, you can endanger your country. By killing and disposing of the missing-nin, the hunter-nin keep the country safe. They are specialists of keeping secret information, secret." He sighed. "No sound, no smell, that is a ninja's end."

"Kakashi," I said. "I'm don't know if you've already figured it out, but that kid was no hunter-nin, was he?"

Everyone asked me what I meant.

"In almost every situation, the hunter-nin disposes of the body at the scene." I informed them.

Kakashi's eye widened. "He is right." Kakashi put the pieces together. "The only time they wouldn't, is if they had no other choice. If he needed proof of the death, he could have just taken his head. Taking the whole body with him, meant that even if he was a hunter-nin, his objective was not to kill Zabuza, but to save him."

"But you checked for a pulse yourself! You said there wasn't one." Naruto said.

"The senbon that pierced his neck. Senbon, unless they hit a vital organ, almost never kill with so few. Doctors even use them for acupuncture. I believe that they put him in a near death state, slowing down his heart rate so much, that I wouldn't be able to notice it."

"So he's still out there?" Naruto asked.

"We shouldn't rule out the possibility. Act as if he is alive and well, but it is unlikely he'll be any more active than Kakashi, considering the beating he put down on him, and the near death state. It'll take around a week to fully recover from that." I reassured them.

Kakashi said, "That means we'll have at least a week till we cross paths again. Until then, you will train."

"What use will training do? Even using your sharingan, you barely defeated him!" Naruto said.

"Naruto, don't forget you guys saved me while I was trapped. You shouldn't underestimate yourselves. Nevertheless, you might have to fight the hunter-nin, not Zabuza. Since we don't know his actual strength, the only thing you can do is train." Kakashi said. "You won't be able to beat him without me though! This is just until I get better."

"So we train until then." Naruto said, excitedly. "Things are getting interesting!"

"No they're not." A voice said, from behind us. We turned and saw a young boy standing, no older than eight.

"Ah Inari!" Tazuna said. "Where were you?"

"Welcome back grandfather." He walked over to Tazuna and hugged him.

"Inari, say hello to these people. They're the ninja who protected grandpa." Tsunami said.

Inari just stared at us, with an odd look in his eyes. He suddenly pointed. "Mom, they're just gonna die."

"Well duh!" I said. "Everybody dies in the end. Are you the new Captain Obvious?"

He glared at me. "No matter what you think, you can't beat Gatou." He replied.

"Hey Inari!" Naruto shouted. "Listen! There's no way Gatou'll beat me! I'm a hero who's gonna become the Hokage one day, so I won't lose!"

"Pfft," Inari expressed his opinion of that. "Are you stupid? There's no such thing as heroes."

Before Naruto started shouting and screaming like a little girl, I tipped a cup of ice cold water on his head. "Cool off. Don't rise to every little thing."

Inari got up and was about to leave the room. "If you want to live, leave." Inari said. He opened the door.

"Where are you going?" Tazuna asked.

"To see the ocean from my room." He left.

I tapped Naruto on the shoulder and leaned into his ear. "Come with me Naruto." I whispered to him.

"What is it?" He asked as we left the room.

"Just follow me." I led him to Inari's room. "Listen."

Naruto quietened as he heard crying coming from the room. He looked down.

"See Naruto, there's always more to the story. Don't feel anger towards him. Understand him." I whispered to Naruto. "Let's head back, we'll start training soon."

"Ok." He said glumly.

* * *

Outside

Naruto and Sasuke were standing in front of Kakashi, while I was lying down on my side.

"Ok, we will now begin your training!" Kakashi said cheerfully.

"HELL YEAH!" Naruto shouted.

"While I'm happy about your enthusiasm, I'm going to talk to you about chakra. I'm sure you all know what it is?" He looked at us expectantly. When none of us objected, he continued. "Good. That makes things easier. Basically, I'm going to teach you how to use it more effectively."

"What! More chakra control?" Naruto looked at me. "Why do I have to do more of this? I thought that I'd start learning more kick ass stuff from my teacher!"

"What do you mean Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Nii-san already made me do tons of chakra control exercises when we met. He never taught me anything else though." Naruto said. _'Well, now that he puts it that way, I didn't do a much better job then Kakashi at teaching Naruto. I really am too lazy.'_

"Yeah, sorry Naruto. I forgot." I said.

"Forgot!" He screamed. "I begged you to train me, and you always said, 'Maybe another time.' You didn't train me after the first time!"

"Uh, I'm really, lazy?" I said.

"Well duh! Who's Captain Obvious now?" He said.

"Besides," I replied, "I don't know any techniques I can teach you, so there's not much I can help you with."

Kakashi interjected. "Anyway Naruto, show me what he taught you."

He humphed. "Fine." He walked over to the river, stepped onto it and walked over to the middle. He stood there until Kakashi called him back.

"Well, you're obviously quite adept at that. I was going to teach that to you but when I saw you do it during the fight with Zabuza, I had to come up with something else. Sasuke?" He looked over to him. "Can you do this as well?"

"Yes." He replied. "I was taught by my mother."

"Right. That means you three are already probably better than the other genin."

I raised my hand. "But I can't do it." I said.

"I know. You know I know, why bring it up?" He asked.

"Because I wanted to show that I actually can do it, and show just how awesome I am." I said, getting up.

"How? You can't use chakra." He said.

"I'm Jesus."

"Who?"

"No-one. Anyway, watch." I walked over to the river and they watched as I started, seemingly floating above the water, my feet almost imperceptible. The water beneath me was splashing about. I made my way back to dry land.

"How did you do that?" Kakashi and Naruto asked.

"Simple. Well, not so simple. Basically, I, extremely quickly, kick off the water with my feet, moving fast enough that I don't sink through the surface tension. It's actually quite difficult. It's easier to run very fast on water, rather than walk on it. It does require the use of my speed ability though."

"That is impressive, Kaonashi." Kakashi said.

"You can't use chakra?" Sasuke asked me.

"No. Didn't I tell you before, when we were at the training ground?"

He looked a little sheepish when he said, "I forgot."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. Besides, it didn't seem likely so I dismissed it." He replied.

"I can't say I blame you. Anyway, I can still water walk, and tree climb, albeit without chakra. I'm actually quite proud of my tree climbing." I decided to show them. I walked over to the nearest tree. Standing next to it, I shifted into a cat. I easily scaled the tree, shifted back into human form and jumped off the top. I landed down in a crouch, muscles and bones groaning at the exertion of stopping myself from that fall.

"Show-off." Naruto said.

"Don't hate me 'cause you ain't me." I retorted.

"Right. Since you three can water walk, two using chakra control, I guess I might as well discard the chakra training I was going to make you do. Instead, Kaonashi here can spar with you for the next six days."

"What!" I shouted.

"Well, you do owe Naruto some training, and both of them would benefit from some more proficiency in taijutsu. Naruto especially." He replied.

"Although he is strong, I doubt he's good enough to teach me." Sasuke said.

I decided if I was going to do it, I'll knock Sasuke down a peg. "Oh don't worry Sasuke, I'm gonna fight the two of you at the same time. It is extremely unlikely that even the two of you together will be able to defeat me in taijutsu." _'Rock Lee maybe, but these two, no way.' _

"You're not that good." Sasuke insisted.

"Alright then, attack me." I stood there. "I won't even retaliate, or move from this spot. Aside from maybe jumping up and down a couple of times. You won't be able to touch me. I might touch you though." I grimaced. "That sounded less creepy in my head."

Sasuke got pissed. He rushed em and started throwing punches, kicks and combinations at me. None of them were able to touch me. _'I guess with quicksilver, he doesn't really stand a chance. Right now, I'm moving 20x faster than normal. I could go up to 50x now. I've almost mastered it.'_

He kicked out at my abdomen. I bent backwards to dodge it. He tried a low kick to my feet, I jumped. While I was in the air, he jumped higher, and when he was above me, he launched an axe kick to the top of my head when I landed. I simply moved my right hand to the base of his foot and pushed him away. In my view, he was moving slow as hell.

He tumbled. I must have pushed him harder than I thought. "How are you so fast?" He asked, panting. He had been going at me full pelt for a few minutes already.

"Taijutsu is my forte. Yours and Naruto's in ninjutsu. You're better than him at taijutsu, but I'm better than you at it. It's as simple as that." I sat down. "Now, I have an idea. It'll be almost impossible for you two to defeat me when I do this, but the purpose is not to beat me, but to get better at taijutsu. The best way to get better at something is practice." I told them to sit down. "Kakashi, I want your advice on whether or not this is a good idea. I can do it but I don't know if they can."

"What is it?" He asked.

"Basically, I will shut down all thought processes, and function solely on instinct. I will be like that for the next five days. During that time, Naruto and Sasuke will continuously fight me, alternating between fighting and resting. It'll be grueling, but the benefits from five days of continuous fighting will be massive."

"It will put a lot of strain on them, physically and mentally." Kakashi said.

"That's why I'll leave two days rest at the end, instead of just one." I looked at Sasuke and Naruto. "What you'll do will be incredibly difficult. I won't fight back, but I will grab and throw you away, so be prepared. I won't be able to understand anything you say when I start so you'll have to be careful you don't get hurt. When you're not attacking, I'll be sitting down, regaining my strength. That's why the best way to defeat me will be to never let me rest."

"Why are you telling us how to beat you?" Naruto asked.

"Because like I said, the purpose is to train you." I looked at Kakashi. "Someone will have to bring them food regularly, I will need some as well but I'll get them myself, by following pure bestial instinct."

"I think it's a good idea." Kakashi said. "It's a little dangerous for you, but if you believe you can do it, I believe you."

"Alright. Naruto, Sasuke, I suggest you get a good meal in now. You'll need the energy."

After they had their food, I stood and told them to do the same. "Remember, once I do this, I won't be me until the five days have passed. The only skills I will use are purely taijutsu." _'And quicksilver. I'll be using that for the duration. May as well make it difficult for them.' _"Now, are you ready?"

"Yes." They both said, complete concentration on their faces. Sasuke got into his stance while Naruto stayed back.

"So you're starting Sasuke. Prepare yourself! Go!" I activated quicksilver to 20x speed and cut all thought processes, setting a timer for five days from now. The world went black.

* * *

Five Days Later

Everything came back into focus. My body was exhausted, I was starving, but not thirsty. I saw Naruto's leg coming right at the side of my head, and before I could react, it connected and knocked me over. I tumbled and heard Naruto shout out to me. "Are you alright?"

I rubbed my head. "Yeah, aside from that concussion you nearly gave me."

"I was surprised. That's the first time I've landed a solid hit on you. I realized it must be because you just woke up." He said, shortly before dropping from exhaustion.

I saw Sasuke lying down a few meters away, the surrounding area had been almost demolished. I left them there and went inside, I needed food and they needed rest.

After eating, I went back outside and waited for them to awaken. When Naruto and Sasuke woke up, I asked them to fill me in.

"When we started, I saw all life go out from your eyes, you took a basic stance and stood there, motionless." Naruto said.

"Yeah," Sasuke added. "I couldn't touch you. Whenever I attacked, you dodged. When you didn't dodge, you grabbed me and threw me away, pretty hard." He rubbed his back.

"Anyway, why was I so hungry, but not thirsty?" I asked.

They looked at each other. Smiling, Naruto said, "After the first two days, and after watching you catch and eat animals raw, we realized that we needed to stop you from getting food. Water, we couldn't stop, as we were right next to a river. Simply, whenever any animals neared the area, whoever was resting, would scare them away while the one who was fighting would keep you occupied. It was a good plan, right?"

"Obviously. I felt like I hadn't eaten in a month. You drained my energy by stopping me from getting good food." I was impressed.

"Thanks. Anyway, fighting you, I wasn't able to land a clean hit on you until you woke up. I hit you a couple of times, but they were just glancing blows. Sasuke had more success. He managed to cleanly strike you a few times."

"Unfortunately, my stamina is not as good as Naruto's so I got tired out too quickly." Sasuke admitted.

"Anyway, I need to wash. Sasuke, go get a proper sleep inside. I'm sure you want to remember what a bed feels like." I told him.

After he left, I asked if Naruto wanted to go and sleep too.

"No, I want to train more." He said.

"Fine. But I really need to wash first. There's dried blood on me, from what I presume is from dead animals?" I asked.

"Yeah, you just ripped them apart and ate them."

"Gnarly." I said. I took my sleeveless hoodie and pants off and got into the river. _'__Bracing.'_

Washing the worst of the blood and grime off myself, and my clothes, I dried myself off and got my kit back on. "Right, Naruto. We'll train more, but first you need a proper meal. We'll start again at about 18:00. That's about two hours to eat and rest. Get ready, I'll push you even harder this time."

"Alright!" Naruto went inside for some grub.

* * *

The Next Morning

After Naruto and I sparred some more, he passed out from exhaustion later that night and I slept up a tree, on a branch, keeping one eye open. _'Metaphorically, of course.'_

While dozing, I heard someone approach, I opened an eye, turned my head to look down and saw a boy, who looked a lot more like a girl, standing a few meters away from Naruto. He walked up to him, hovered his hand above Naruto's neck, before changing his mind and shaking him awake. "You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here." He said.

"Huh?" Naruto woke up. He sat up. "Who are you?"

Haku just smiled.

"Did you wake me up?" Naruto asked. "By the way, what are you doing here?"

"Picking herbs." Haku said.

"Herbs?"

"They're for treating injuries and illness." Haku informed him.

"I'll help you then." Naruto offered.

"Thank you." Haku said. I decided to make myself known and, dropping down from my perch, I also offered my assistance. Haku whirled around, reaching a hand into his pink Kimono, suspicion on his face. As soon as he saw me, he schooled his features and thanked me too.

"I'll show you what I'm looking for." Haku said, removing his hand.

We started picking the herbs Haku told us about, and Naruto asked Haku if the plant really was medicine.

"Yes. Some plants and herbs have special properties that treat infections, heal wounds or alleviate pain if administered properly. You have to be careful with them though, because if you're not, you could kill whomever you're treating." Haku said.

"Why are you doing such a tedious job, so early, lady?" Naruto asked, sitting down.

"You too, why are you two here so early?" Haku asked.

"We're training." I said.

"Are you ninja or something?" Haku asked. "That forehead protector..."

I adjusted my forehead protector, not aptly named, as I wore it as a belt buckle. "Yeah." I admitted.

"Me too!" Naruto added.

"Wow, you're amazing." Haku said. "But, why were you training?"

"Isn't that what ninja do?" I asked. Naruto told Haku it's because he needed to become stronger.

"But you two already look pretty strong to me." Haku said.

"No, I need to become stronger!" Naruto said.

"Why, is that?" Haku asked.

"So I can become the best ninja in the village, I'm gonna make everyone acknowledge my strength, and in the end, become the Hokage!" Naruto said, pretty convincingly.

"Are you getting stronger for yourself, or someone else?" Haku asked.

"Huh?" Naruto was confused. Haku giggled. "Hey! What's so funny?!"

"Do you, have someone who is important to you?" Haku asked him. "You see, when a person has someone they wish to protect, then they truly become strong."

"Yeah! I actually know what you mean." Naruto said.

Haku got up. "Then I believe you will become truly strong. Let's meet again sometime."

"Sure." Naruto agreed.

"Oh, and," Haku looked back. "I'm a boy."

Naruto was shocked at the sudden revelation. Sasuke arrived.

"Yo Sasuke, if you want to spar, spar with Naruto for a while. I need to do something." I said. Without waiting for a reply, I jumped into the trees and followed Haku. When I saw him again, I dropped down to him. "Haku," I called to him.

He turned around. "What is it? And how do you know my name? I never gave it." He asked.

"I'll explain, but I want to talk to you, alone." Haku started to look very suspiciously at me now.

"What is it about?" He asked again.

"It's about Zabuza." He immediately launched several senbon at me. Slowing down my perception of time again, I plucked each one out of the air. "Don't be so hasty." I said. "You haven't heard what I want to say."

"Say your piece." He told me.

"Alright." I sighed. _'I wonder if I'll be able to pull this off.' _"I want to know if you wish to have a proper home again, and a family?" I asked.

Now he looked confused. "What?"

"I know of your past. I know where you came from, and how you came to be with Zabuza." I said. "I know why you're working for Gatou, and I know what Zabuza's plans are for the Hidden Mist."

"How do you know all of this?" He asked. He seemed to be allowing me a chance.

"How, I know, doesn't matter. The point is, I am offering you, and Zabuza a chance to join Konoha."

"There's no way your village would allow a missing-nin to join them." Haku said. "What authority do you have?"

"Uh, I don't, right now." I said, looking sheepish. "But! I have a lot of pull with the Hokage, I might be able to grant you and Zabuza a home, per some stipulations, of course."

"I have no reason to believe you." He was closing up again. I needed to convince him.

"I told you I know a lot about you two. The reason you work for Zabuza, is because he saved your life. You have dedicated your life to him, and only him. You believe yourself to be a tool, for him to use, and throw away, if necessary, don't you?"

He looked at me with steely eyes. "Yes." He didn't even try to deny it. "Since I owe him my life, I don't own it, he does."

"What I'm offering you, is a chance to, reclaim your life. I'm not trying to tear you away from Zabuza, but to allow you to work and live, side-by-side with him. I don't have any proof that I can do it, but I believe that I can. The question is, is there any part of you, no matter how small, that wishes to live according to your own desires, not someone elses?"

I saw him hesitate for a moment, _'There it is,' _before he locked eyes with me again, and said, "You've said your piece."

"I won't tell anyone what I saw, or know about you two. Just relay a message to Zabuza for me."

"Okay."

"I would give you a written scroll, but you'd probably just think it was a booby trap and throw it away, so I'll tell you verbally. Here. 'Zabuza, I know about your plans to overthrow the Hidden Mist's Kage. I can tell you that the rebellion will be successful, even without your help. Gatou is planning to kill you off, to save money. Anyway, my point is, Haku will tell you of my offer. If you want to know who is offering. It is 'The Shinigami'. I'm sure you've seen that name in your bingo book. Remember, I am not lying. I hate lying. I detest it. I will bend the truth, but I hate to break it. I ask you to trust me, and if you decide to accept, tell me at our next meeting. If you don't, we will fight you at full force.' There. That's the message. Haku, just remember that what I'm offering you is a family, one who will accept you for who you are, not hate you for your kekkei genkai."

Haku turned around. I felt my legs get cold. "Since you already know about my kekkei genkai, think of this as a parting gift." He said. "Don't follow me." He left.

_'Great. I'm covered up to my fucking eyeballs in ice now. Ugh. This sucks major balls. I'm gonna have to wait for this shit to unfreeze now.'_

'BEEP' '_Yay! It's my friendly neighbourhood ability man. I wonder what amazing gifts he has in store for me today!' _I thought very sarcastically. _'I can't access my sunglasses now, because of this goddamn ice.' _I tried to activate at least the audio.

I heard a voice appear in my ear, "Congratulations!" _'That's really starting to piss me off.' _"You've unlocked another ability, not the extra one you get from mastering your Quicksilver, of course. It's, basically thermal manipulation. I'm sure you know what that is." _'Well duh, I manipulate the thermal. Grammatically incorrect, I know.' _"You'll be able to control heat, completely. You will only be unaffected by what you create. This means that if you are set on fire by somebody else, you will get burnt. If you set yourself on fire, you'll be A-OK! Your clothes won't be though! Anyway, that's it for now. Seeya." _'Yeah, bye. Well at least I'll be able to get out of this freezing fucking ice cube.'_

With the knowledge of how to control it, implanted into my brain, I heated up the ice around me. In about 30 seconds, it was completely melted. I was soaked though. _'I could probably dry myself off with this, I think. I'm actually getting a little annoyed myself, on how convenient these abilities are.' _Heating up my clothes, they suddenly burst into flames. "Fuck." _'Even though I know how to use it, I need to practice. Now I'm stark fucking naked.' _I shifted into the black wolf I was before and headed back. _'After all, nobody cares if an animal is naked.' _

* * *

Tazuna's

When I padded into the house, I saw Kakashi doing one finger pushups with Tazuna on his back. Remembering to alter my vocal chords this time, I talked to him.

"Well you seem to be in good form Kakashi."

"Yes," He looked at me and stopped mid sentence. He sighed and asked me why I shifted into a wolf.

"Uh, I lost my clothes so I changed into this. Anyway, what's the plan?" I asked.

"Well I checked on Naruto and Sasuke, and you really have bettered their taijutsu. They are still nowhere near my level, but they are miles above where they were."

"Experience is way better than simple training. If I had to choose between training at a prestigious martial arts school, and simply fighting every day on the streets, I'd choose the latter. You learn how to win, rather than just how to fight."

"That's not a bad way to look at it." He said. Tazuna offered to get me some of Kaiza's old clothes.

"No, it's all good. I just remembered that I could just shift myself some new clothes. I don't really know how it works, but I think it has something to do with my perception of myself. That's why anything I'm wearing when I shift doesn't just fall off." I shifted back into my human form, and had a change of clothes. Instead of my sleeveless hoodie, I was topless, showing off my super awesome, killer muscles. Tsunami walked in and saw me. "You mirin?" I asked. She just asked what I meant. "Never mind. It's easier to move around like this." I kept my shoes and loose pants on though. I sat at the table and waited patiently for Tsunami to finish cooking some food.

Sasuke came in with Naruto, helping him on his shoulder. "You're back." I commented.

"Yeah." Naruto said, "and we're stronger than ever."

"Good. Tomorrow, you three will protect Tazuna-san." Kakashi said.

Naruto slumped down in the chair opposite Inari and waited for food too. He rested his head on the table and started dozing. Inari suddenly started shouting. "Why are you trying so hard?! No matter what you do, you're no match for Gatou! Whatever you claim to be, or how hard you work, when facing the strong, the weak will die!"

"Yeah, well I'm not like you." Naruto said, sleepily.

"Yeah, well I'd hate to be like you! You don't know anything about this country, yet you poke your noses in where they don't belong! What the hell do you know about me?! I'm different from you! You just mess around! You don't know how hard life is!"

"So, you just sit and cry all day about how hard your life is?" Naruto asked, looking up. "Then just cry forever, you pussy!"

Inari ran out, sobbing. "Naruto, remember what I said, don't get angry, understand him. He lost his family, he has a right to be upset. Even if he just cries about it all the time, it's the worst thing that's ever happened to him. I'll talk to him." I followed Inari out. He was crying at the riverside.

"Listen Inari," I sat down next to him. "Naruto was just lashing out at you because you said about how he didn't know how hard life is. He's had it worse than you. If it wasn't for me, it would have gone on for a lot longer. He never had parents, and almost the entire village treated him like shit. Even through all that, he didn't complain. He didn't ask for help, he just got on. I know about Kaiza, you saw him die from Gatou's men. But with all due respect to him, he wasn't a ninja. Even if he was, Gatou didn't kill him, his hired men did. Do you really think Gatou himself is any stronger than anybody else?" I asked.

"No." He sniffled, "But whoever goes against him, dies!"

"Yeah, but I'm stronger than anyone he has. Anyone. All that is necessary for evil to succeed, is for good men to do nothing. Kaiza knew that, so he fought. When he died, everyone lost hope, and didn't fight. Gatou triumphed. If everyone fought against him, do you really think he'd be able to stop you?"

I got up. "Think about what I said, and decide for yourself. Will you fight, or will you do nothing and let him beat you?" I went back inside, ate some dinner and went to bed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

* * *

The Next Day

Naruto was still in bed, he'd worn himself out sparring with Sasuke and I. _'That's why I was gonna leave two days rest. Nobody ever listens.' _We were leaving, Tazuna and the rest of Team 7, for the bridge, to help build it. "Take care of Naruto," Kakashi told Tsunami. "Let's go."

Once we reached the bridge, we found motionless bodies, presumably the other workers, covered in blood. "What the hell happened?!" Tazuna screamed. We saw one of the bodies moving, so we rushed over to him. "What happened?" Tazuna asked him.

"A monster!" He said, coughing blood.

Suddenly, a thick mist descended onto the bridge. "Everyone, group together, he's coming." Kakashi ordered us. We readied ourselves for the inevitable appearance of Zabuza and Haku.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kakashi." A voice said, most likely Zabuza's. "I see you're still playing around with those kids. He's shaking again, how pitiful." I looked over to Sasuke, and he was shaking. But the image of his face was not one of fear.

"I'm shaking from excitement." Sasuke told him, as seven Zabuza water clones surrounded us.

"Do it, Sasuke." Kakashi said. Sasuke flashed out of view, and sliced the clones to ribbons, before they dissipated into pools of water.

"He saw through the clones. He's grown. It looks like a rival has appeared, eh Haku?" Zabuza said.

"It does indeed." Haku said, standing next to Zabuza, wearing the porcelain mask of the hunter-nin team.

"It seems you were right, Kaonashi. That hunter-nin is his teammate." Kakashi said to me.

"Yes, but we still don't know who he really is." I said. _'Until they either completely reject my proposal, or die, I need to convince them I'm trying to help them.'_

"I'll fight him." Sasuke said. "Making us look the fools like that, stupid tricks, I hate bastards like that the most."

"An impressive young man." Haku said. "Even though the water clones are only 1/10th as strong as the original, he managed to defeat them all instantly. Very impressive."

"We still have the advantage," Zabuza told him. "Go!"

"Yes." Haku disappeared. Spinning in a whirlwind, he quickly approached Sasuke and attempted to shred him with the senbon he wielded. Sasuke could read his moved, and stopped him with a kunai.

"Kakashi, I'll keep an eye on Tazuna, you watch Zabuza." I said.

"You read my mind." Kakashi replied.

"Isn't that what you do?" I said, referring to his fight with Zabuza.

He chuckled. Sasuke and Haku were fighting, neither able to get the upper hand. "I don't want to have to kill you," Haku said, "But you won't stand down, will you?"

"Don't be foolish." Sasuke said.

"Well then, you won't be able to keep up with my speed now. I already have two advantages." Haku said.

"Two advantages?" Sasuke asked.

"The first, is the water on the ground. The second, is that I am in direct contact with one of your arms." He made a one handed seal. "You will now only be able to run from my attacks." Haku stamped a foot on the puddles. The water rose up and took the shape of senbon. There were hundreds of them. Sasuke concentrated. As the hovering senbon finally came flying at the both of them, Haku jumped away. Water exploded when they made contact. Once the water had disappeared, Sasuke also had.

Sasuke was in the air, he launched several shuriken at Haku, to which Haku dodged each and every one. Haku stopped and Sasuke appeared behind him. "You're pretty slow. You will now only be able to run from my attacks." He taunted, repeating Haku's earlier comment. They both starting fighting again in a blur of speed. Sasuke quickly gained the upper hand, the benefits if the training, beginning to show. He threw a kunai at Haku's face, and the instant he ducked under it, Sasuke launched a roundhouse kick right into Haku's torso before he had time to react, sending him flying to Zabuza.

"It looks like I have the advantage in speed." Sasuke said.

"I can't have you underestimating them and calling them brats, you know." Kakashi said. "Sasuke is the villages #1 Rookie, Kaonashi here, well he's the strongest out of the three, and Naruto, he's the village's #1 Most hyperactive, knucklehead ninja."

Zabuza started laughing. "Haku, do you realize? At this rate, we'll be the ones being pushed back."

It suddenly got colder. "Yeah," Haku said. "We can't have that." Suddenly, the water around Sasuke rose again, freezing into ice, before forming a sphere of mirrors surrounding him.

* * *

Haku walked over to one of the mirrors, and stepped into it, and his visage appeared on all of the mirrors. Kakashi rushed over to help Sasuke. "Damn it!" He shouted.

Zabuza cut him off. "Your opponent is me." He told him. "Against that technique, he's finished."

I couldn't see much inside the ice mirror cage, but from what I could see, Sasuke was getting ripped to shreds. "Yo Sasuke, catch." I shouted. I calculated the trajectory in an instant, and launched a kunai, directly through the narrow slot between the mirrors. Just like before, Haku caught it, when a shuriken came and hit him, right in the mask, cutting it. Naruto was here.

Haku fell out of the sphere. "Now that I'm here, everyone will be fine! The hero always arrives fashionably late, before kicking the enemy's ass!" Naruto shouted.

Zabuza launched a load of shuriken at Naruto. "Shit!" Kakashi swore. "Dodge it, Naruto!"

When the shuriken neared Naruto, Haku threw senbon at them, halting their path. "Hey retard!" I shouted at Naruto. "What kind of ninja bursts on the scene, shouting and screaming like a little kid? Ninja are supposed to be sneaky bastards! You just made yourself the loudest target for practice there, you know?"

"Crap! I came here to help!" Naruto said.

"Well start by using the thing between your ears!" I shouted back.

"Haku. What's the meaning of this?" Zabuza asked.

"Zabuza-san, leave them to me." Haku said to him. "Please let me fight them my way."

"So, you don't want me to interfere, eh Haku?" Zabuza said. "Soft as always."

Haku walked back into the mirrors. I watched as Naruto decided it would be a good idea to go into the cage as well. "Naruto you idiot!" Sasuke knocked him on the head._  
_

"What was that for?" Naruto asked.

"You're a ninja! Use your head! How are you supposed to help me when you're trapped too?" Sasuke asked. "You know what? I don't even care anymore! You're an idiot!" Sasuke made a fireball, but it had no effect.

"You can't melt this ice with that level of fire." Haku said.

"Well then I'll take you out with these!" Naruto made a load of clones and they all attacked a mirror each. Haku sped, imperceptible to the human eye due to his speed, and destroyed each and every one in seconds.

"This mirror uses it's reflection to transport me." Haku said. _'What? He must be moving at the speed of light, if that were true. And if that were true, he'd be the fastest ninja on the planet, ever. It's obviously an exaggeration' _"From my point of view, you're moving in slow motion." He continued.

"I knew it," Kakashi said. "He has a kekkei genkai."

"So what?" Naruto said. "It doesn't matter how strong you are, I can't afford to die here. I have a dream I must fulfill."

"Becoming a true shinobi, is difficult for me." Haku said, "If possible, I don't want to have to kill you. Nor do I wish to force you to have to kill me. But if you come at me, I will kill my heart, and become a true shinobi. This bridge is where we fight, to defend our dreams. Me, for my dream, and you, for your dreams. Do not hate me. I want to protect someone, to work for him, help him, and see him fulfill his dreams. For that purpose, I can kill you!"

Kakashi decided to start the fight with Zabuza, he needed to save the two of them. "I guess I'll have to do it myself then." He raised his hand to his headband.

"The sharingan again? For the man said to have copied over a thousand technique's, you sure are a one trick pony." Zabuza taunted. Before Kakashi could raise it, Zabuza attacked. Thrusting a kunai at Kakashi's face, Kakashi grabbed it, drawing blood.

"Even if it is the same trick, you are still afraid of it, right Zabuza?" Kakashi said.

"You're not supposed to show your master technique more than one time to an opponent."

"You should be honoured," Kakashi said. "You're the only opponent I've faced to see it twice, but there won't be a third time."

"Heh. Even if you manage to defeat me, after our fight, you won't beat Haku." Zabuza said. "I taught him all sorts of things, and with his kekkei genkai, he made them even better. I have the ultimate fighting tool, not like those brats that follow you around."

"There's nothing more boring, than a man's bragging." Kakashi uncovered his sharingan. "Let's get this started!"

"Wait a second," Zabuza said. "I'll use your words, and brag about one more thing. The last time, you said this to me. I've been waiting for a chance to use this line. 'I'll tell you now that I won't fall for the same trick twice.' Wasn't it? I have already seen through that sharingan. Last time, I wasn't just getting beat, I had Haku examine and dissect each aspect of the fight. He's bright. He can see a technique, and come up with a way to defeat it." Zabuza made a handsign. The mist surrounding the bridge, thickened until you couldn't see more than a couple of feet in front of yourself.

"Tazuna, don't stray from me." I told him.

"Okay Kaonashi." He replied. I stood, watching everything around me through my infrared vision. The sound though, was distorted by the thickness of the mist. I could only make out some words. From them, I could tell that Zabuza was telling Kakashi exactly what the sharingan's abilities were.

I heard Zabuza appear behind me and Tazuna. Moving quickly, I shifted into the infamous green haired, three sword swordsman, Roronoa Zoro. I held my hands out. "Shinken Shirahadori!" I said. Using my impressive speed and strength, as the sword came slashing down to me, I hooked both hands into the circle in the sword and grabbed it, stopping the descent, my muscles practically creaking from the exertion of stopping that huge sword. _'At least I had more success than Zoro did.' _I pushed the sword away when Kakashi appeared.

"This kid here seems to be doing a better job then you, Kakashi." Zabuza said. "It's a shame to have to kill the lot of you. Haku will defeat those other kids, and I'll send you to meet them in the beyond."

"They won't lose. I believe in their strength, Naruto's determination, and Sasuke, he's the offspring of Konoha's most outstanding clan."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah, his name is Uchiha, Sasuke." Kakashi informed him. "A genius ninja, with the blood of the Uchiha's running through his veins."

"Not to mention," I butted in, "He's also just activated the sharingan."

"How do you know?" Kakashi asked.

"Trust me. I know."

"Even with it, Haku's not going to lose. Nobody has every defeated that technique of his." Zabuza said, disappearing once more into the mist.

"Can you hear me Zabuza?" Kakashi called out. "You seem to think I'm an excellent ninja, solely because of my sharingan. That is not the case. I am a former member of the Konoha ANBU. I'll show you what sort of ninja I am, by killing you with my own technique's."

I suddenly felt a wave of pure, unadulterated rage, coming from Naruto's position. _'That's Naruto. He's about to lay down a world of hurt on Haku.' _

Kakashi's eyes widened, "Naruto!" He'd remembered what the chakra of the demon fox felt like. "Did the seal come undone?" He muttered to himself.

Kakashi pulled out a scroll, unrolling it, he splashed his blood in a line down it. "Can you hear me Zabuza? We're both running short on time. This may go against your style, but let's end the fun," He rolled the scroll back up and caught it in his hands, "And end this now!" Making a few handseals, he slammed his hand onto the ground.

"Whatever you do is useless." Zabuza said. "You don't even know where I am. But I know exactly where you are"

At that moment, the ground underneath Zabuza burst, and eight dogs appeared, latching onto Zabuza and sealing his movements.

"That's what happens when you shut your eyes in this mist." Kakashi said, walking towards him. "This summoning is especially for tracking. The reason I let my blood be spilled onto you, was to allow my dogs to track down the scent of it, right to you. The mist has cleared, your future is death."

"My future is death?" Zabuza scoffed. "Stop spewing that bullshit!"

"Don't be foolish." Kakashi said. "There's nothing you can do in this situation. Your death is certain. Zabuza, you went too far. Your ambition was too great. Your attempted coup d'état, and attempted assassination of the Mizukage both failed. You needed money for a second go, so you attached yourself to scum like Gatou."

Kakashi started making handseals. "Wait!" I asked him.

"What?" He asked.

"I need to ask Zabuza a question." I said. I walked over to Zabuza and talked to him quietly, out of even Kakashi's earshot. "Have you considered the proposal."

"Yes I have." He whispered.

"And?"

"No. I will never work for those pansies." He said. "I'd rather die."

"Well then you will get your wish." I turned back. "He's all yours Kakashi."

I heard sounds of chirping birds. Kakashi was holding his right wrist with his left hand, and his right hand was covered in lightning. "You are too dangerous," Kakashi told Zabuza. "Tazuna-san, who you tried to kill, was this country's 'courage'. The bridge he seeks to build, is this county's 'hope'. Your ambition sacrifices many people, and their ideals. That is not what a shinobi should do."

"I don't give a damn!" Zabuza said. "I fight for my own ideals! That will never change!"

"I'll ask once more," Kakashi said. "Surrender. Your future is death."

"Never."

"Then I must kill you." Kakashi dashed forwards, thrusting his lightning covered hand to Zabuza's chest. A mirror formed next to Zabuza, and Haku shot out of it.

_'Well I might as well try to save him.' _I activated quicksilver, and moving at 50x speed, dashed at full throttle, trying to reach them before Kakashi impaled the two of them. I managed to push Haku out of the way a little, and Kakashi's stopped his hand, but not before piercing Haku's upper arm. I managed to save his life, but he was still gravely injured. If that attack cut any major veins or arteries, he would die quickly. Everyone was shocked. Even Zabuza. When Kakashi tried to remove his hand, Haku grabbed it, with his other one.

"Haku really is useful." Zabuza said, readying his sword. "He gave me a final chance!" He swung his sword down, intending on cutting through both Haku and Kakashi.

Kakashi jumped back, taking Haku with him. "Kaonashi, watch Haku." He ordered me.

"I was planning on it." I moved over to Haku, and started treatment immediately. _'It's a shame I can't use medical chakra, it would help heal the wound.'_

I improvised. Using my new ability, I seared the wound, effectively cauterizing it. Haku screamed in agony. "Stay with me Haku!" I tried to keep him awake. I removed his brown sash, and tied it around his arm, above the wound, to stop any more bleeding. I kept talking to him. He was going into shock. _'He's lost a lot of blood.'_

I used my ability again to keep him warm, heating his haori up, very warm. I couldn't risk heating him up directly, I didn't know what that would do to him. I grabbed some bricks for the bridge, and placed them under his feet, lifting them 12 inches up, increasing circulation. I didn't have any way to give him my blood, I was O-type so I could do it, but I didn't have the materials so all I could do was keep him comfortable.

* * *

"Tazuna," I shouted at him. "Come with me! I've done all I can for him, we need to check on Sasuke!"

"Alright."

We ran over to Sasuke, passing a downcast looking Naruto on the way. Sasuke was lying lifeless, in a bloody mess on the ground, looking like a human pincushion. "He's alive." I told Tazuna. "Those needles in his neck, they are in the same place as they were in Zabuza, when he was put into a near-death state. I guess Haku couldn't bring himself to kill Sasuke." I kept watch on Sasuke, and observed the fight between Kakashi and Zabuza.

Kakashi dashed towards Zabuza, dropped down and launched a side kick into his midsection, throwing him back. Kakashi was slaughtering him now. Zabuza was bleeding from all over his body. Kakashi's Chidori has damaged his body, even though he didn't physically connect. Zabuza had two kunai embedded in his left arm, now useless. He rushed Kakashi again, but Kakashi simply knocked him away, with one hand. Zabuza was little more than a punching bag at this moment.

Zabuza started swinging wildly. His sword crashed down into the bridge. Kakashi appeared behind him and gripped his neck. "In your current state, it is impossible for you to defeat me." He said.

"What did you say?" Zabuza asked, sounding a little unhinged, angry at the events.

"You don't understand the true meaning of being strong." Kakashi told him.

I heard a tap echo through the mist. "Hehe, so what's going on here?" A voice asked.

Turning around, I saw a short, stocky man holding a cane in a business suit. _'The man, not the cane. It would be weird for a cane to wear a suit.'_

Kakashi started spinning two kunai on his fingers. "This is the end, Demon!" He said, aiming for his neck.

Zabuza's head turned to look straight at Kakashi, he suddenly swung his sword around him, fixing to take out Kakashi. Kakashi altered his course, and disabled Zabuza's remaining arm by implanting his kunai into his arm, mirroring the left arm. He jumped back before the sword could connect.

"Now both arms are useless." Kakashi said. "You won't even be able to form a seal."

"Ooh, you're getting your ass kicked." The man with the cane said, making himself known to the others. He had at least a hundred mercenaries behind him. "How disappointing."

"Gatou," Zabuza said, his arms hanging lifelessly by his sides, "What are you doing here? And with all these men?"

"The plan has changed. Well, the plan I told you. The original plan is the same. I'm going to have you killed here."

"So he was right." Zabuza muttered to himself.

"I never planned on paying you, far too expensive. It's much cheaper to pay a mercenary to kill you when you are weak, than pay you. I'd never hire a normal ninja, since they might betray me, but you missing-nin have no qualms about my business, do you? It's much cheaper to have you kill each other off, and pay whomever is alive at the end, don't you think?"

The mercenaries started shouting. "We can easily kill you now! You're nothing compared to how many we have!" They seemed optimistic.

"Kakashi, I'm sorry." Zabuza said. "Our fight is over. I have no reason to go after Tazuna anymore."

"Yeah, you're right." Kakashi agreed.

Gatou walked over to Haku. "Oh yeah, I owe this one for breaking my wrist." He stamped on his face.

"Hey! What are you doing, you bastard?!" Naruto screamed. He ran at Gatou, but Kakashi yanked him back.

"Look at their numbers Naruto." He told him.

Naruto looked over to Zabuza. "Say something! Weren't you friends?!"

"Shut it kid. He's useless now." Zabuza said coldly. "That wound on his arm will seriously affect him, even if he lives."

"Don't you feel anything at all?! Weren't you always together?!" He screamed at him.

"As I was used by Gatou, I used Haku." Zabuza said. "That's all it was. In this world, there are only those who use, and those who are used. We are simply tools. I only wanted his blood, not him. I have no regrets."

"Hey." Naruto said in a lower voice. "Do you really mean that?" Zabuza said nothing. Naruto ran at him.

"Naruto! Don't!" Kakashi shouted. "We're not fighting him anymore!"

"Shut up! My enemy is still him!" Naruto pointed at Zabuza. He pointed at Haku. "He really loved you! He loved you enough to sacrifice his life for you! Do you really feel nothing?! Do you really, really not feel anything?!" Naruto screamed, tears in his eyes. "If I become as strong as you, will I become like you?! He almost threw away his life for you! He might not even live, or at best fight again with that wound! He never had his own dream, to live, or die as a tool, that's just too sad!"

"Kid," Zabuza said. "You don't need to say any more." He was crying. "It pained me to have him fight you. He fought, not only for me, but for you guys too. He is too kind. I'm glad I got to face you guys in the end. You may be right. A shinobi is still human. We may not be able to become emotionless tools. I've lost." He looked at Naruto. Unwrapping the bandages covering his face, he said, "Kid! Give me your kunai!"

Naruto threw it to him. Zabuza caught it in his mouth. He rushed to the mass of enemies.

"That's enough! Kill them!" Gatou shouted, fleeing the approaching Zabuza. Zabuza reached the mercenaries, and started slashing through the lot of them, the difference in skill, evident. Cutting them up, he sliced a path through to Gatou, taking many injuries in the process. Gatou was stuck, between the edge of the unfinished bridge, and Zabuza. When he reached him, he had swords and spears impaled into him back. Zabuza ran right up to Gatou, sliced his chest and blood sprayed out.

"If you want to go to where your little friend's going, then go!" Gatou shouted.

"I don't plan on going with him. You and I, we're going to hell!" He stood face to face with Gatou. "In hell, even the unremarkable demon of the Hidden Mist can become a real devil!" He moved his head downwards, preparing to strike. "Let's find out if I'm just a baby devil!" Swinging his head full force, he decapitated Gatou with the kunai in one swing.

Gatou's head rolled, and his body fell into the river below. Zabuza raised his head again, blood dripping from all over. He glared at the mercenaries, and they opened up a path. Zabuza dropped the kunai in his mouth, the job done. Stumbling, he made his way back to Haku. Before he made it, he fell to the ground.

Back with me, Sasuke woke up. I had removed the senbon embedded in him, and patched up the wounds. "What happened?" He croaked out.

"Nothing much. Naruto saved you, Gatou's dead. Zabuza's almost dead." I told him. "Oh, and there's a mass of mercenaries on the bridge that are pissing their pants at the mere sight of Zabuza, from what he did."

"What happened to the masked kid?" He asked.

"I told you, Naruto beat him. He's still alive though, albeit barely. He tried to sacrifice his life to save Zabuza, but I stopped it."

"Why?"

"Why not?" I said.

I asked Tazuna to keep him comfy while I walked back to the group, the danger over. I walked over to Naruto. "Sasuke's fine. Haku just put him into a near-death state like with Zabuza."

"That's good. I was worried about him." Kakashi said.

"Hey, aren't you a little too laid-back?" One of the mercenaries shouted. "You killed our meal ticket!" One said. They started shouting about how they were gonna pillage the village for compensation. _'Hey, that rhymed. Pillage the village.'_

They started rushing us. "Kakashi! Don't you have some sort of jutsu to take them all out?" Naruto asked.

"No, I used too much chakra from my Chidori and the sharingan." He said.

An arrow came down from the sky and landed in front of the approaching horde.

"if you come any closer, the citizens of this country will take you down!" Tazuna's voice rang out. Looking back, I saw all the citizens of Wave country wielding makeshift weapons, with Inari at the front, holding a crossbow.

"Inari!" Naruto shouted.

"Heh. A hero shows up at the last second, right?" Inari said.

"Alright! I'm gonna help too!" Naruto made four clones.

Kakashi also made some shadow clones, and by some, I mean fucking loads. _'I thought Naruto was the only one able to make so many clones. I guess Kakashi is proficient enough at the technique to make so many.'_

The mercenaries got the point, and scarpered. Running back, they ran down onto a large boat waiting at the side of the bridge.

"We did it!" The villagers shouted in joy.

Kakashi walked over to Zabuza. "It looks like it's over, Kakashi." Zabuza said.

"Yes."

"Kakashi. I have a request."

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"I want, to see his face." He asked.

Kakashi readjusted his headband to cover the sharingan. "Sure."

Kakashi picked up Zabuza in his arms, and it started snowing. He walked over to Haku, and place him down next to him.

"Thank you, Kakashi." Zabuza said.

Haku's eyes opened. "Zabuza-san! What happened?!" He spluttered, spraying a little blood, still unable to move due to the blood loss.

Zabuza raised his hand to Haku's face. "Haku, I wish I could stay with you, but it seem events conspire against it. Listen to my final wish."

"Anything!"

"Accept the offer." He said.

"But what about you?" Haku asked, tears freezing on his face.

"Never mind me. You are not a tool to me Haku, I will always think of you as my son. All I wish for is for you to be happy." Zabuza's hand dropped, his eyes closing.

Haku choked. "Zabuza, father. Goodbye." He was sobbing silently, tears streaming down his face.

I rushed over to them. "Haku, make your choice." I said.

He looked at me for a few seconds, glanced at Zabuza and then met my eyes. "I will accept. It was his final wish."

"Good." I looked over to Kakashi. "Kakashi, pick Zabuza up, Naruto, grab his sword. I'll carry Haku. We're going to give Zabuza a proper burial."

"Of course." Kakashi said.

* * *

The Next Day

We had buried Zabuza on a hilltop, overlooking the country. We left his sword as a grave marker. Haku was silent throughout the burial. He wanted to bury him himself. He said some words, but no-one else knew what to say, so we left it at that, and left.

When I was alone, I called over to Kakashi.

"Kakashi." I said.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I'm removing myself from Team 7 and reinstating myself as the jonin, Himura Shin."

"May I ask why?"

"I was never going to stay on this team. Among other things, at the chuunin exams, I would be at an extremely unfair advantage. I can't take the rank from someone who deserves it." I said.

"But what about the other problems, like the people after Naruto and Sasuke?"

"I will still keep an eye on them, just not from the inside. I'm telling you this now, as I was waiting until I found a replacement. You asked last night what the offer was I gave to Haku?"

"Yes," He said.

"Well, it was an offer to allow him to join Konoha. He isn't a missing-nin, so there won't be any red tape. Nobody knows his real identity, so he won't be associated with Zabuza. I want him to replace me on Team 7. He will be a good fit for it. Strong enough to push the other two, and has his heart in the right place."

"Does the Hokage know about this?" Kakashi asked.

"No, but I believe he will listen to my request." I shifted myself into my old, new form, Himura Shin and felt the power rush back into me. It felt like wearing full body weights, and taking them off after ages, and feeling light as a feather. "Let's go back. I'm sure Sasuke will be annoyed with the deception."

* * *

Two Weeks Later

Sasuke was annoyed. I managed to placate him though by telling him about how deception was a ninjas most important asset and all that. _'Bullshit baffles brains.' _

We had finished the bridge, and were now leaving Wave country. We stood at the entrance between Fire country and Wave country.

"Thanks to you, we completed the bridge. But it's sad to see you go." Tazuna said.

"Thanks for everything." Kakashi said.

"Don't worry! We'll come visit!" Naruto told Inari.

"You better!" Inari said, sniffling.

"Inari, you're sad right?" Naruto said. "It's alright to cry!"

"I'm not gonna cry! But you can cry too!" Inari said.

Naruto turned and started walking back into Fire country. "Fine, later." He said, crying.

We all followed him, and Naruto started talking about how much ramen he was gonna eat when he got back.

_'This was a long few weeks. I can't wait to get a proper nights sleep back in my own bed.'_

* * *

_**Author's note: So, Shin'll be off the team now, with Haku as a replacement. I know it seems to be a little too close to the actual storyline at the moment, but aside from the fact that the character is trying to do that, I'll try to make more of a difference. Anyway, I won't have Shin on Naruto's team anymore, unless it is under other circumstances. I think that the reason my chapters are getting longer each time I write one, is because this is the first time I've done this, so my ability to write, and come up with shit, is getting better as time goes on. I doubt I'll be near someone like James Patterson's standards anytime soon though. I don't even know if I'll write another one after this, I doubt it, although if I do, it might be a tie in with this one. **_

_**Anyway, thanks for reading.**_


	12. Good Things Come To Those

_Chapter 11 - Good Things Come To Those Who Fight For It  
_

'Thinking'

_**'Mind talking'**_

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, books, TV-shows or games.

* * *

Home

Everybody was back to full condition, except Haku. The wound inflicted on his arm was severe. At the moment, he could use it, but the motor functions were diminished. He wouldn't be able to throw his senbon or make handseals with his left arm effectively. I'd have to wait until we get Tsunade back, to fully fix it. Luckily, Haku uses one-handed seals, something even most high level ninja are unable to do, so his battlefield ability won't be too restricted.

I sighed, laying down on my bed, _'It wasn't too hard to convince the Hokage to let Haku be my replacement, the hard part was convincing him I should be replaced.'_

I thought back to the awkward conversation.

* * *

A Few Days Ago, Shortly After Returning

Team 7 and Haku had just finished debriefing. The Hokage and I were now discussing my decision to leave the team.

"Dammit Hiruma!" The Hokage was pissed. "I put all that effort into convincing the council to let you on the team, and now you want off?!"

I could hear the rest of Team 7 quietly snickering behind me at the tongue lashing.

"Et tu, Haku? I expected this from the rest of them, but you? I thought you were different." I faked a sob. The Hokage sent the rest of the team out. I turned back to the Hokage. "With all due respect Hokage-sama, it really would be unfair to the other genin, when the chuunin exams come around. I have shirked my duties as a jonin for long enough. You should be happy that you're getting your #1 jonin back on call. I do admit that I should have told you about my plans, but, it slipped my mind."

"This Haku boy, he was Zabuza's apprentice?"

"Yes. He was strong enough to hold down both Sasuke and Naruto using his techniques. According to Zabuza, that technique had never been beaten."

"What about his injury?"

"He won't be able to create handseals, or use his senbon with his left arm, but seeing as he uses one handed seals, it wont affect him majorly. With proper treatment, I believe he could regain full use."

"Well, I guess since you did find a worthy replacement, I can't be too mad." The Hokage conceded. "Make sure nothing else 'slips' your mind, Himura."

"Of course Hiruzen. Finally, I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it? I suppose you want me to make you head of the ANBU now, don't you?"

"No, nothing like that. Since the chuunin exams are coming up, I would like to be your personal guard. You know I'm qualified, and powerful enough."

"Yes, I do. You're strong enough to rival even me now, at my age. Why?" He asked.

"I want to get the best seats in the house." I told him. He raised an eyebrow. "You should know me well enough by now, to know that I don't have any sinister motives."

"That I do." He agreed. "Well, I'm sure that Raido will be disappointed to hear of it."

The Hokage called Haku back in.

"What is it, Hokage-sama?" Haku asked, bowing.

"It's about your possible placement on Team 7. I would like your honest opinion on them, and if you would like to be placed on that team." He asked.

"Well, Naruto is a bit rash, not very level headed, doesn't think things through, but he is fairly strong and knows the meaning of true strength. Sasuke, quite the opposite of Naruto, except in their competitiveness and the potential to become very strong. Since we know each other already, and they have accepted me, I would like nothing more than to stay on their team." Haku said. "One thing, I still don't know where I'll be staying."

"Ah, Himura-san here will let you stay at his place." The Hokage said.

"That's actually a very good idea." I said, rubbing my chin. "Maybe Haku's personality will rub off on Naruto. Mine sure didn't. Although, It is gonna get a little crowded. It'd be a hell of a lot easier if Naruto just claimed his name now." _'If he is gonna wait until everybody acknowledges him, it won't be until he saves Konoha from Pain.'_

"You have plenty of money, Himura-san. Why don't you just buy the house next door, and knock down some walls?"

"I was thinking of that. It'd take quite a bit of money off me, though." I said. "What do you think, Haku?"

"I don't mind. I would prefer to live with people I know, than live alone." He said.

I clapped my hands together. "Well it's decided then. Haku, you'll live with me and Naruto, I'll buy the empty house next door, and Hokage-sama, I'm sure you can push through any paperwork necessary for it."

"Yes, I can do that. Well then Haku, you'd better get back to the team. Tell Naruto the news, and try to keep them from killing each other." The Hokage chuckled.

* * *

Present

I thought about my ability, Fireteam. _'I've already gotten bored of the whole, different characters thing. I wonder if I can reverse it and go back to regular replica's of me?' _I activated my glasses and checked. Navigating my way to abilities, Fireteam, I opened it up. I scrolled past the explanation of the ability, and right at the bottom, there was a small box. Opening it, a sign popped up. 'Warning! If you choose this, your ability Fireteam will regress back to the original form! Your clones will not have the other powers, and will once again, be pure replicas of yourself.' _'Well, that makes this easier.' _I clicked it. I heard the sound that you hear when you empty the recycling bin on the computer. The information flickered, and changed to the original.

I tried it out.

I got up out of bed, got dressed, and left, deciding to hunt down Naruto. I'd had another wardrobe change, I was now dressed as Solid Snake, from the first game. I decided to forgo the groin harness, or whatever it was called, though I still had the bandana on. Holstering my pistol, I left the now, five bedroom house, locked the front door, turned around, and almost ran into a small kid, who'd tripped. I helped him back onto his feet. "Konohamaru, is it?" I asked the little kid.

"Yeah! I can't talk now, Naruto's following me!" He ran off again, Naruto chasing him.

_'Well that was quick.' _I jogged with Naruto. "What are you doing?" I asked him.

"I promised Konohamaru I'd play ninja with him. He's pretending to be a ninja, evading the enemy." Naruto said, still running. "Why is it, you wear what seems to be an outfit for years, and then change into an entirely different one?"

"Why not? It keeps you on your toes." _'Not to mention that my jonin vest fits in with the get up.' _I heard Konohamaru bump into someone up ahead. I rounded a corner and saw a dude dressed in a very weird get-up, holding Konohamaru up.

"That hurt, you piece of shit." He hissed at Konohamaru.

"Don't do anything stupid, we'll get yelled at later." The girl behind him said.

"Yo, faggot!" I shouted to him. "Put the kid down."

"What did you call me?!" He shouted, before looking at me. After he got a look at my imposing figure, he instantly shut up, and placed Konohamaru on the ground, very gently. "Hey man, I was just messin'." He said, raising his hands.

"No problem. It's just that manhandling the Hokage's grandson could land you in a bit of hot water." I said.

"He's the Hokage's grandson?" Kankuro was looking a little nervous now.

"What are you doing in our village?" Sasuke asked, sitting down in a tree behind us.

"They have legitimate reasons for being here." I informed him.

"Care to tell us what they are?" Sasuke inquired.

"Ask Kakashi next time you see him." I told him.

Another voice came through, behind Sasuke. "Stop embarrassing us." A redheaded boy was standing on the underbelly of a branch, behind Sasuke. After he said that, Kankuro and Temari both blanched.

"G-Gaara," Kankuro stuttered.

"Bullying little kids, how pathetic. Why do you think we came here in the first place?" Gaara asked, still completely emotionlessly.

"Listen Gaara, I wasn't about to let that kid disrespect me, so-"

Gaara interrupted him. "Shut up, or I'll kill you." He said with a very convincing look on his face.

"S-sorry!" Kankuro said.

"Hey, Gaara, is it?" I said, "If you stay upside down like that for long enough, all the blood will go to your head, and you'll fall off."

He disappeared in a miniature sandstorm, and reappeared on the ground. "Sorry for the inconvenience." Gaara said to us. "It looks like we're early, but we didn't come here to play." He said to his team. "Let's go."

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked.

"You really are clueless, aren't you?" Temari asked. "We're here for the chuunin selection exams."

"Yeah, I told you about them before Naruto. Nobody knows when they'll be, exactly, until a couple of weeks before." I told him.

"I'm definitely entering then!" Naruto said.

Sasuke jumped down. "Hey, what's you name?"

"It isn't any of your business." Gaara said. _'I guess he isn't interested without Sasuke throwing his little stones.'_

"I have an idea," I piped up. "How about, to foster good relationships, we all come over to my place and tell each other all about ourselves. Fostering the relationship between villages is one of the reasons for the chuunin exams, anyway."

"Why should we?" Gaara asked.

"Why not? It's free food at the end of the day, and I'm not gonna grill you about your abilities. Anyway, I'm pretty interested in you lot." I said.

The three of them huddled together and started muttering to each other. I enhanced my hearing to listen in.

"Is this a good idea?" Temari whispered.

"I know, that giant dude seems to be a jonin, and we can't give away our abilities. If we mess up, Baki'll kill us." Kankuro said.

"We will go." Gaara said. "As long as you are vigilant, the likelihood of them finding out our abilities is small. We might even find out more of their abilities. Besides, I said we're going, and I shouldn't have to explain myself."

I saw Temari and Kankuro stiffen. They turned back to us. "Alright." They said.

"Good!" I said, "I'll just go and find Haku and we'll make a big dinner. By we, I mean me of course." I created a replica of myself, and sent him off to find Haku. _'I'll need new names for them again. Ugh, I really should have thought about that before.' _

_**'Yeah, you should have.' **_My replica thought to me.

**_'Piss off.' _**I thought back. "Anyway, let's head back to mine." Gaara's group were staring at me, probably shocked at the clone of myself. Most likely since it was created with no handsigns. Gaara himself, was still looking with that blank stare. "How old were you Gaara?" I asked.

"What?" He replied.

"When the wind changed?" I said. "That's why your face is stuck like that, isn't it?"

I felt a burst of killing intent from that. Temari and Kankuro were agape. "Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist, let's go." I turned around and made my way back home. Konohamaru and his little gang left, while the rest followed me.

* * *

Home, Again

"Make yourselves at home! Unless you trash your home, in which case, sit down and shut up." I said to the group. "Isn't that gourd heavy?" I asked Gaara.

"No." He said.

"Wow, your conversational abilities are astounding. Anyway, Sit yourselves down." We were all in the front room, now a lot bigger since it was connected to the one next door. Naruto and Sasuke sat down on one couch, Temari and Kankuro sat down on a couch opposite, and Gaara sat on one in the middle. My clone arrived with Haku. I dispelled him and asked Haku to sit down. He sat on the couch next to Gaara. Gaara had an odd look on his face, probably trying to figure out his gender. It must have been hard, seeing as Haku was dressed in his pink kimono.

"How hungry is everyone?" I asked. The responses were about the same - fairly hungry, I knew Naruto would eat even if he wasn't. "Alright, I'm gonna cook up a big chicken dinner, mashed potatoes, vegetables, the whole shebang. It won't take long."

"If it's a whole chicken dinner, shouldn't it take a few hours, at least?" Temari asked me.

I tapped my nose. "I have a few little secrets." I went into the kitchen, summoned my three clones and got to work. I used both quicksilver, and my new heat ability to have the entire dinner ready in less than five minutes.

"Done!" I shouted. They came into the kitchen and were greeted by a large table, filled with food. The chicken was in the middle of the table, with plates of vegetables scattered on it. "Sit down, eat. It's good, trust me." _'This library of information has everything.'_

Everybody sat down, once again, Naruto and Sasuke sitting opposite Temari and Kankuro. Gaara was at one end of the table, and Haku sat between him and Naruto. I sat at the other end of the table. We started eating. "This is delicious!" Temari exclaimed.

"Thanks." I said.

"How did you do all this so fast?" She asked.

"That's for me to know, and you to not find out for a while." I replied. "So, why don't you all introduce yourselves!"

Naruto went first. "Alright! My name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm gonna become the Hokage!" Kankuro sniggered.

"Hey, a ninja who wears make-up and a weird cat-suit can't really say anything about someones dreams." I scolded. He apologized.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke said.

"How eloquent Sasuke." I said.

"My name is Haku." Haku said, bowing his head a little.

"No last name?" Temari asked.

"No I forsake that a long time ago." He said. "Also, I am a boy." Kankuro spurted out his drink. He apologized again, cleaning up the mess.

"Well then, I am Hiruma Shin, a jonin of Konoha, and Naruto's older brother." I said. "Also, I am going to attend the chuunin exams as the Hokage's personal guard."

Kankuro whistled. "You must be pretty strong then."

"Yeah, I did whip up this meal pretty quickly, didn't I? Now, it's your turn."

"Well, my name is Sabaku no Kankuro. Also, this isn't make-up, it's warpaint." He said.

"Ooh, no need to get so defensive, someone might get worried about you." I said.

"My name is Sabaku no Temari, I am Kankuro and Gaara's older sister."

"So, you're all related?" I asked.

"Yes, we are the Fourth Kazekage's children." She said.

"You must be pretty strong genins' then." I said.

"That's for us to know, and you to not find out for a while." She parroted my earlier comment.

"Touché." I said. "Well, last but not least?"

"I am Sabaku no Gaara." He said.

"Once again, quite the conversationalist." We got back to eating, only making passing comments to each other. Throughout the meal, I noticed Gaara slowly leaking killing intent towards Naruto. Naruto hadn't noticed yet, but I have keen senses. _'The demon inside him must be reacting to the one in Naruto.'_

"Gaara, no sakki at the table. I especially don't appreciate you focusing it on my otouto." When I scolded him, his sakki spiked for a second, causing everyone except me and him to go into a cold sweat. "Gaara, don't make me throw you out." I threatened. **(A/N, I'm using sakki instead of killing intent, it sounds better.)**

He looked right at me. "What makes you think you can?" He asked.

"What makes you think I can't?" I replied.

He stared me down, got up and walked outside. Temari and Kankuro were about to get up too. "Don't," I said. "Finish your meal, I'll get him back."

* * *

I left the house and scanned the area, finding him sitting against a tree. I walked over to him, feeling his sakki spiking dangerously. _'He really is unstable.'  
_

"Gaara, you didn't have to leave." I said.

"I left so I wouldn't kill you all." Gaara replied, holding his head.

"See, you still think you could kill me." I said, nonchalantly. "Tell you what, if you can't injure me, even a little, you tell me why you're so unstable."

"And if I do?" He asked, looking right at me.

"You choose." I said.

"You will let me kill you." He said.

"Well for someone who didn't want to slaughter everyone, you really want to slaughter everyone. Sure, why not." We both stood. I watched him. "Aren't you gonna do anything?" He stared. "Well if you're not, I will." I shot towards him and threw a punch aimed just aside his head. The sand from the gourd poured out and blocked me. I decided to say something. "How about this. I really don't want to go against you in a battle of attrition. I'd still win, it'd just take a lot longer. Instead of you injuring me, how about if I can lay a finger on you, I win."

He had never been injured, and his sand stops anyone from being able to get near him. He'd be too overconfident to refuse. "Alright." I knew it.

I decided to end this quickly, I activated quicksilver, ran right up to him and placed both hands on his shoulders. I deactivated it. "I win." I said. Suddenly, the sand surrounded me and encased my whole body. _'God, it's stuffy in here.' _"Gaara! This might hurt a little!" I shouted through the sand. I started heating myself up, getting hotter and hotter, my clothes started burning up. Raising the heat to around 3,000 degrees centigrade, I burst into flames, the sand around me crystallized from the intense heat. I smashed my way out of the sand coffin, and stood, aflame, in front of a very shocked Gaara. He was sweating, and a little charred from the sudden explosion of heat. I cooled myself back down, and recreated my clothes. "You lose, Gaara." I said to him. "Now you can explain it to me."

He got a slightly crazed look on his face when he said, "How about this. For the last 6 years, my own father, the Kazekage, has sent hundreds off assassins to kill me!" He watched my face for a reaction. He found none, and continued. "A being strong enough will be hated and feared. I was born a monster, my father creating me to be the villages trump card, but even he feared me. It seems, that once I turned six, my existence was deemed too dangerous to exist, so he tried to kill me. Why do I exist? Why am I alive? I found no answers to these questions. To live without reason, is the same as being dead."

He stared into my eyes. "I came to this conclusion. 'I exist to kill every human besides myself.' I found relief within the fear of death. By continually killing every assassin, I understood the reason to continue living. Fight for yourself, live for yourself, love only yourself. If you think that everybody's only existence, is simply to allow you to experience that feeling, there is nothing better. As long as there are people to kill, I can enjoy living. My existence will not vanish."

"So basically, you kill people, so your existence, will never vanish?" I asked. "That's another way of saying you never want to be forgotten, to make sure everybody will remember who you are. Killing everybody, will leave a mark on this world like no other. Your whole life, you have been feared. Would you rather be even more feared, or loved?" I asked him. "There is another, like you in this very village. He too, has a monster inside him. The only difference, is that he was not feared, he was despised. He now leads a relatively normal ninja life, has friends, and a family. Most of the village still hates him, but he will not stop until they all respect him. He follows a different path from you Gaara, you should do the same." I walked back home. I called back. "Do you want dessert?"

"No." He said, and disappeared in his sand, leaving the glass remnants on the ground. _'I guess he can't control that.'_

* * *

I sat back down at the table. "He's gone, I talked to him though. He'll be fine." I told his brother and sister. They sighed in relief. I heated my meal back up with my powers, _'Way better than microwaved.' _and wolfed the rest down.

"Hey, is something on fire?" Naruto asked, sniffing the air.

"Yeah, I was." I said.

"Oh, okay." He said.

"You don't look like it." Kankuro said.

"It's magic!" I said, waving my hands for added effect.

"Don't mock me!" He shouted.

"Don't mock me!" I mocked in a high pitched girly voice.

"That's it!" Suddenly, without anybody touching it, my plate flew up and hit me in my face.

"I'm gonna go with 'ow'." I said. "Also, you really should work on your anger problems. Just by annoying you, I got you to show some of your abilities. Chakra strings?"

Temari smacked him on the head with the metal fan. "You idiot! Don't show the enemy your abilities!"

Kankuro shouted and pointed at me. "You said you didn't care about our abilities!"

I raised my hands in mock surrender, "No, I said I wouldn't grill you about them. You showed me of your own accord. Anyway, I already knew about your abilities."

He looked confused. "How?" He asked.

"That big wrapped package you carry around, I know what's in it. I won't tell these guys though, it wouldn't be fair." I said. "I can't say anything about them figuring it out themselves."

Temari got up. "Well, we'd better go before he starts showing all of his tricks." She started dragging Kankuro by the back of his top. "Thanks for the meal." She said, leaving.

"Well then, this isn't a charity service, piss off." I told the rest of them. "You've eaten my food, what else do you want?"

Sasuke piped up. "Information on the other team?" He asked.

"How about, no." I said. "I told them I wouldn't, and I ain't a liar. Besides, is tiny widdle Sasuke not smart enough?" I mocked him, making baby gestures.

"Hn. Fine." He said.

"Thanks for the meal." Haku said, before bowing and leaving.

Just before he left, I shouted. "Wait, one more thing! Kakashi'll probably give you your chuunin forms tomorrow. You'll need to sign them if you want to enter. Also, you might see me around." I said.

"Around where?" Naruto asked.

"Around." I replied.

* * *

The Day After Tomorrow

The Hokage had let me keep an eye on the participants of the exam, to make sure there was no funny business. I was to be one of the plants, put into the test room to give them a chance to cheat off me. I shifted into an unassuming figure, and entered the assessment center. Walking up the stairs, I nodded to Izumo and Kotetsu across the hall, and went up to the top. Reaching the third floor, I walked to the room. As I walked through the door, I came into a large room, with about 60 ninja in, barely half full. I sat down by myself.

"Where's your team?" One of the other ninja asked me.

"I came here ahead of them. They'll be here soon." I said. They wouldn't be here with me though. The other two were just chuunin I didn't know. I sat down and waited for the rest to come in. As the other ninja filed in, I saw Shikamaru's team enter. a couple of minutes later, Kiba's team entered. Team 7 would be the last team from the Rookie 9 to come in. Sure enough, about 10 minutes later, the last team to come in entirely, was Naruto's. Everyone stared them down, as they had done with the others of the Rookie 9. Naruto and his team started talking with the others, when a familiar silver haired man walked over to them. _'I reckon I'll kill him off before this entire story arc is over.' _I thought to myself. I bore no ill will towards him, hell, I find it hard to hate anybody, but since I want to make this world at least a little better, I'd better get rid of one of the reasons it went to shit.

I saw Kabuto whip out his cards. I made my way over to them. "-of Suna, and Rock Lee of Konoha." I caught the end of Sasuke's reply.

"You already know their names? That makes it easier." Kabuto said. He pulled out two cards with a flourish, and held them in front of him.

"Show me." Sasuke said.

"Ok, Rock Lee. He's a year older than you, 20 D-ranks, 12 C-ranks. Sensei is Gai. Impressive taijutsu skills, the rest, not so impressive. Last year, he gained attention as a talented new genin, but didn't take the exam. Like you, it's his first time, along with his team members, Hyuuga Neji, and Tenten." Kabuto read off his cards. "Next," He switched cards, "Gaara of Suna. No D-ranks, 8 C-ranks, wow, 1 B-rank mission as a genin! Since he's from another country, and hasn't participated before, I don't have much info. I do know this though. On all his missions, he came back without a scratch." As Kabuto explained how all the genin from the other villages were elite, and all that, I tuned out. I was brought back to reality by a shout.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto pointed at the other genin. "I won't lose to you bastards! You got that?!" He shouted. Needless to say, the other genin weren't too impressed with that.

"Naruto," Haku said. "Perhaps calling attention to ourselves wasn't such a good idea."

"Yeah, idiot. You just made everyone here your enemy." Shikamaru added.

"I was just speaking the truth!" Naruto protested.

I spotted movement from the corner of my eye. A masked man leapt into the air, coming at Kabuto. He threw two knives at Kabuto, but he slid backwards, dodging them. As he slid back, the man's teammate moved up close to Kabuto, and threw a wide hook, which he dodged by slipping his head back. I heard a very high pitched noise. _'Oww, damn that hurts.' _I rubbed my sensitive ears. _'I need to be more careful when they use that.'_ As Kabuto smirked, his glasses cracked. As he removed the glasses, he fell to the ground and vomited.

"Kabuto!" Naruto ran over. "Are you alright?"

I walked over to him. "Here," I handed him some water. "Get this down your neck."

"Thanks." He said to me, looking at me funnily. _'It's probably because he doesn't have any info on me.'_

"How pathetic," One of the attackers said. "_You're_ a 4 year veteran?"

The other attacker added, "Write this down on your cards. "The three hidden sound ninja. Definite future chuunin."

There was a large poof of smoke. "Quieten down you worthless bastards!" Ibiki and his crew had arrived. "Thanks for waiting. I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the first test." He pointed over in our direction. "Hidden sound guys, stop doing as you please. Do you want me to fail you now?"

"Sorry," the leader of the group said. "We got a little carried away since it's our first time."

"There will be no fighting without my permission. Even with my permission, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs that fail to obey my rules will be immediately failed. Do I make myself clear?" Silence reigned. "Good. Now, we will start the first test. Instead of your current seating arrangements, you will be seated at random, using these numbers to be picked." I looked at my table, sure enough, a number was scribbled in the corner. "Once you've sat in the corresponding seats, we will hand out the tests." Kotetsu shuffled the test papers.

"WHAT?!" Naruto screamed. "A paper test?!"

"Yes." Ibiki growled. "Interrupt me again, and I'll fail your whole team." Naruto sat back down dejectedly.

* * *

Once everybody was sitting in their new positions, Ibiki resumed talking. "Do not turn your tests over. Listen closely to what I'm about to say. There are many important rules to this test. I'll write it on the board while I explain, but questions are not allowed, so listen well." He started writing. "First rule. You will each start off with 10 points. There are ten questions on the test paper, and for every incorrect answer, one point will be deducted. I'm sure you know enough maths to know what I mean. Second rule. This is a team test. Whether you pass or not, will be determined by the combined score of both you and your teammates. So, each team is competing to see who can keep the most points from a total of 30. Third, and the most important rule. Anyone caught performing sneaky activities, namely cheating, will have 2 points deducted from their total. Once you reach zero, you will be kicked out. Better luck next time, and out the door."

"We'll have our eyes on you." Kotetsu said.

"Realize that the pathetic ones that get caught cheating will be destroying themselves." Ibiki said. "As shinobi, aiming to become proud chuunin, be proud ninjas. The final rule, those that lose all their initial points during the test, or those who don't answer any questions correctly, will be failed along with their two teammates."

A few people weren't happy by this, but they wouldn't risk failing immediately by showing it.

"The final question will be given 45 minutes after the test starts. You have one hour for the test. Begin!"

I flipped my test paper over. _'This'll be a piece of piss.' _I was glad my brain was part computer now, calculations are instant, any information I need is already there. I looked at the first question. _'A cryptogram. Easy.' _As my brain disassembled the cryptogram, and sorted it into thousands of different possibilities, I waited for a few minutes, until the genins started figuring out how to pass. After I noticed some start to cheat, I started writing. Writing it in, I moved onto the second. It was a question about possible options of attack, given specific parameters. I quickly completed that one, and it didn't take me long to slice through the rest of them. Once I finished, I shifted eyes on the back of my head, not a recent discovery, but still difficult to get used to quickly, and looked about the room. I saw Shikamaru finishing his test, Tenten using her mirrors to get answers, and supply Lee with them, Haku also made mirrors with ice, Ino using her mind technique on some unsuspecting testee, and other genin who'd figured out the reason for the rules. Mostly, I was watching Naruto shit his pants, since he had no idea how to answer the questions.

Another team got kicked out. "What the hell!" The guy who got caught shouted. "Do you have any proof I cheated five times?! Ar you guys watching all-" He was cut off by one of the chuunins, who was watching, as he smashed him up against the wall.

"Listen," The chuunin with bandages over his upper face said. "Among chuunins, we are the elite that were assembled to watch over the exams. We haven't missed anything." He pushed him harder. "You could say this strength is our proof." He dropped him. "Get out, your team too." They left, and the chuunin sat back down, and started watching vigilantly.

Soon, Gaara started his third eye technique, Kankuro went to the bathroom, and Ibiki told everyone we were going to start the tenth question.

"Now, before we start the tenth question," Ibiki said, "I would like to go over the added rules, for this specific question."

Kankuro walked back in. "Nice timing," Ibiki said. "Did playing with your dolls help? Just sit down." Once he sat down, Ibiki continued. "I'll now explain. These are the rules of desperation. First. For this tenth question, you must decide whether or not you wish to participate."

"Choose?!" Temari shouted. "What happens if we choose not to?!"

"If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to zero, and you will fail, along with your teammates."

"What the hell?! Of course we'll take it then!" Another genin shouted.

"Well, you haven't heard the other rule. If you take this question, and answer incorrectly, you will lose the right to partake in the chuunin exams ever again!"

Kiba slammed his hands on the table. "What kind of stupid rule is that?! There are guys here who took the exam before!"

Ibiki chuckled darkly. "Well, they never had me before. This year, it's my test, my rules. But, I am giving you a way out. Those who aren't confident, can opt out, and take it next year, when I probably won't be doing it." He let that sink in. "Now, let's begin. Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hands. Once your number in confirmed, leave."

People were leaving left and right. After a minute, it died down. After a few second of silence, Naruto raised his hand. Then, he slammed it down. "Don't underestimate me! I'm not a coward who runs from a fight! I'll take the question! Even if I'm a genin, I'll still become Hokage! I, am not afraid!"

"I'll ask you again," Ibiki said looking right at Naruto. "Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit."

"I never break my word. That is my ninja way!" Naruto said determinedly.

The corners of Ibiki's mouth twitched. He looked around the room, but Naruto's outburst had destroyed any doubts in the minds of the rest of the genin.

"Good. Now, to the 78 genin that remain, I would like to congratulate you on passing the first test!" He said.

One of the genin piped up. "But what about the tenth question?"

"You could say those two choices were the tenth question. Choose one, you pass, choose the other, you fail."

"But what about the other nine questions?! They were pointless then!" Temari shouted.

"They were not pointless. They served their your ability to gather information undetected. That, was the purpose."

"Information gathering?"

"First, as I explained, to succeed, the whole team needs to do well. This put pressure on the individual not to mess up for the others. But, the questions were hard enough that normal genins would be unable to answer them. Because of that, I'm sure most of you came to the conclusion that your only option was to cheat. The premise of the test, was to cheat. We placed two chuunins, and a jonin, in the crowd, to help you out. But those that cheat poorly, fail, of course." Ibiki removed his bandana, revealing a mass of scars and blotches, shocking the genin. "At some times, information is more valuable than your life. An on mission, or in the battlefield, people will risk their lives to get their hands on it." He re-fixed the bandana. "If the enemy, or an unknown 3rd party notices you, there is no guarantee that the information you give will be accurate. Remember this, important information in your hands is extremely beneficial, but if that information goes bad, it's worse than none at all. That is why you must be able to gather it undetected. Question 10 though, was the true purpose of this test. By giving you a painful choice, it weeded out those who didn't have the mindset to become chuunin. Those that choose not to take it, fail along with their teammates. Those that do take it, could lose the chance to take it ever again. A true leap of faith."

He looked around at the people left. "About those two choices. Say, you become chuunin. Say, your mission is to steal an important document. Their forces, security, abilities, all unknown. There will be traps set. Now, do you accept, or not? Because you don't want to die, you don't want your comrades to get hurt. Can you avoid this extremely dangerous mission? The answer is NO!" He shouted. "No matter the danger, some missions cannot be avoided. The ability to be courageous, to survive hardship, this is the ability needed to become a chuunin captain. Those who can't put their destinies on the line, who cling to the hope of an uncertain future, the 'there's always next time' mentality, and walk away from their chance, those pieces of trash who can only make such cowardly choices, don't have the right to become chuunin!" He smiled. "Those that are still here, pass. I wish you luck in your next test."

The window burst and a large shape flew through. Kunai attached to the material were staked into the two upper corners of the room. A figure flipped out from it, and landed. "You guys! This is no time to be celebrating! I am the examiner for the second test! Mitarashi Anko! Let's go!" She thrust a fist into the air "Follow me!"

Everybody was quiet. I shifted back into my normal form. "Anko, nobody has had time to celebrate. You're early."

"Aah, Shin!" The purple haired kunoichi shouted, punching my arm, harder than normal people would. _'But then again, she's far from normal.' _"I didn't know you'd be here! When are we going on another mission together? It's always fun on your missions."

"Yeah, I was a plant." I said. "And I have no idea, I just go where they tell me."

"Well that's boring, go make them." She looked past me and counted the remainder of the genins. "78?!" She exclaimed. "Ibiki! You left 26 teams?! You made the test too easy this time!"

"No," Ibiki replied. "This time, there are a lot more outstanding genin."

"Bah! It doesn't matter. I'll cut them to less than half in my test." She said. A collective gulp was heard. She grinned, even more darkly than Ibiki. "I'm getting exited. I'll explain the second exam when we get there." She looked at the genin. "Well get going then!" She shouted, jumping back out of the window.

* * *

Outside The Forest Of Death

I'd decided to tag along. After all, I wouldn't be seeing Naruto for the next five days.

"Welcome to the stage for the second test, practice arena 44. Also known as, 'The Forest Of Death!'You'll soon find out why it's called the forest of death."

"'You'll soon find out why it's called the forest of death'" Naruto mimicked, in a high pitched voice. "You think that scares me?! Bring it on!"

"Huh, you're spirited." She launched a kunai at him. It cut his cheek, and she moved quickly behind him. "Kids like you are quickly killed. Spraying that red blood I love." She said, licking the blood right from the wound."

A Kusa genin slid up behind her, holding the kunai in their tongue. "Here's your kunai." They hissed. _'I don't know if that nonce is a boy or a girl right now.'_

"Thank you." Anko replied, taking the kunai. "But don't stand behind me like that. Unless you want to die."

"No, I just get exited whenever I see blood, plus, you cut my precious hair, I couldn't help it." The disguised Orochimaru said.

"Sorry about that." Anko said.

"You'll get a disease from all that blood one day Anko!" I shouted.

"Shut it!" She threw a kunai at me, aiming to kill. I caught it in mid air, and melted it.

"Oops, sorry about that. That's what happens when things get a little, 'heated'!" I started laughing to myself. I froze the melted remains. "Maybe we should, 'cool off'!" I was gripping my sides. Everybody was staring at me. I stood up. "Why the fuck ain't y'all laughing?!"

I threw something over to Anko. "Here, take this as compensation for the kunai."

She caught the dango, and thanked me.

"Don't say I never get you anything." I said.

"Anyway," She said, munching on the dango, "Before we start the test, you all need to sign these waivers." She waved a bundle of papers in the air.

"What for?" Naruto asked.

"Simply, some of you will die in this test. If you don't sign these, I'll be held accountable if you die. You wouldn't want to inconvenience little old me with your insignificant deaths, now would you?" She said, smiling sweetly. "I'll explain the test, then you can sign it afterwards After that, each team will check in with that booth over there." She motioned over to said booth with her head.

"Since you are so spirited," She looked at Naruto, "You can hand out the forms." _'Sucker.'_

Once he'd handed them out, she started explaining the test. "Basically, it is a test of extreme survival. First, I'll explain the location of the test." She held up a small map. "Around Practice Arena 44, are 44 locked gates." _'Convenient.' _"A forest, a river, and there is a tower in the center. From the gates to the tower, is about 10 kilometers. During the survival test, you will have to complete an objective. Using any weapons and abilities you have, you will be required to participate in a no rules scroll battle." She held the scrolls up. "There are 26 teams, that means 13 teams will have a Heaven scroll, and 13 will have an Earth scroll. To pass the test, you will have to make it to the tower with both scrolls. I'm sure you realize, this means it is impossible for more than 13 teams to pass. That is why I said I'd cut you by at least half. But, there is also a time limit. 120 hours, five days."

"What about dinner?!" Choji asked.

"You'll have to find it yourself. just watch out for man-eating beasts, poisonous plants, poisonous insects etc. Also, it is unlikely for 13 teams to pass in the end. As the days go on, the time for you to rest will become shorter, since the area is literally crawling with enemies, you won't get much sleep. So, not only will some fail by losing the scroll, some will die due to the harshness of the test. Now, I'll talk about what will disqualify you." She held up a hand and opened her index finger. "First, those that don't make it to the tower, with both scrolls, within the time limit. Second, those who lose a teammate, or those who have a teammate killed. As a rule, there is no quitting. You will be in there for five days, dead or alive. Last rule, you must not look inside the scrolls before reaching the tower."

"What happens if you do?" Naruto asked.

"There'll be a little surprise!" She answered. "Chuunin will be asked to handle sensitive information. This will test your trustworthiness. That's it for the boring explanations. Exchange your forms for your scrolls, Then choose a gate to start from. A final word of advice, don't die."

* * *

Once everybody had their scrolls, Anko told them to follow an instructor to their gates. "Yo, Naruto!" I shouted. "I'll take you to yours."

"Hey nii-san. Were you one of the people who had the answers to the test?" He asked.

"Yeah, I don't have the answer though. I had to work them out, like everyone else."

"Well you must be pretty smart then." Sasuke said. "You answered them all pretty quickly, I was copying you."

"I know, I am pretty smart. Haku, nice work with the mirrors." I said.

"Thank you." He replied.

We arrived at Gate #13. "I wanted to let you in at my lucky number." I said to them.

"13's an unlucky number." Naruto replied.

"Well it's as good a number as any to have as one." I said. I got a buzz on my earpiece.

"Let them through in 10 seconds." Anko said through the mic.

"10 seconds people." I unlocked the gate and opened it. When the time ran out, I told them to go in. After they entered, I slammed it shut, scaring Naruto.

"Jeez, don't do that." He said, turning around.

Before he saw me, I shifted into a demon. With the most demonic voice I could make, I said, "Don't come back without the win."

Naruto almost shit himself when he saw me, horns, scales, tail, all red. I shifted back. "Just a little encouragement." I said.

"With friends like you, who needs enemies?" Naruto said.

With that, I walked back to the start.

* * *

Anko was sitting on top of the booth, finishing off some dango.

"Hey Anko! Wanna get something to eat? I'm starved." I said.

"Heh, why not. This dango is good, but not really filling." She said.

"Anko, you can't leave the area. You are the exam proctor." One of the other instructors said.

"Come on, give me a break. We'll be here for five days. I'll need to eat sometime!" She whined.

"That's why we're going to the tower soon." He replied.

"How about his," I compromised. "I'll go home, cook something, and come back."

"That's even better! At least you can cook good food. That's why I never want to eat the crap they serve in those mess halls." She agreed.

"I'll be back in a few." I said, shooting off at a high speed. After performing my special super quick cooking technique, I shot back with a steak dinner, carried by myself and a clone. I was there and back in 20 minutes.

"Well at least you're not slow." Anko said.

I walked with her to the empty booth, and set down the food. We started eating.

"I cooked the steak rare, that's how I like it." I said. "Still twitching."

She smirked. "It's more than fine. I must say Shin, you really are a good cook. The steak's tasty." Anko said, chewing on some food.

"Yeah, my dad did always say I'd make a good housewife someday. I can't say much for his humour." I replied.

Once we were about halfway through our meals, A chuunin appeared. "Big trouble Anko-sama!" He shouted.

"What is it?" She asked, back in professional mode.

"Bodies, three of them!" He said.

"Bodies?" She murmured.

"And they're weird! Please come!" He said.

"Alright. Shin, thanks for the meal, I'll see you later. There seems to be a situation that requires my attendance."

"No problem." I replied. "Seeya."

* * *

About 20 minutes later, when I was still chilling in the same spot, the same chuunin returned. "Hiruma-san!" He shouted.

"What?" I asked.

"You must go to the forest!" He said. "Orochimaru is in there, and Anko-sama has gone after him alone! She requested ANBU Captains, and you to follow her in!"

"Orochimaru?" I asked.

"Yes. He had taken the place of some of the Kusa genin." He replied.

"Alright. Tell me which way she went." After he did, I jumped the fence, shifted into a falcon and scoured the forest, looking for her. After a few minutes, I saw both Anko and Orochimaru. Orochimaru was walking away from an almost motionless Anko. I dived down, aiming for Orochimaru, and shifted back mid-air, keeping my momentum. "Oy you fucking nonce!" I screamed, spinning a kick, full force, moving at about 100mph. He turned his head, and disappeared. I couldn't stop mid air, so I unleashed the kick on the branch. Needless to say, the branch didn't fare well. I practically cut through it, crushing the branch under the force of my leg, which was pretty impressive, considering the branch was four or five meters thick. There was a deafening crash, as it fell to the ground. Now that I'd stopped myself, I jumped back up to Anko.

"Well, fancy meeting you here." I said.

"Piss off." She replied, clutching her neck.

"Did he activate the seal?" I asked.

"Yeah, it hurts like a bitch. I can barely move right now." She said. "How'd you find me so fast?"

"Like I tell most people, there's not a lot I don't know. It doesn't hurt that I have eyes in the sky, even if they are my own eyes." I replied. "Come on, I'll take you to the tower for medical treatment."

"No! I need to get that bastard! He's marked one of the genin!" She resisted.

"I know! It was Sasuke." I told her.

"How do yo-" She stopped. "Never mind, there's not much you don't know, right?"

"Yeah, and I also know he's long gone. He's done what he came here to do. You won't find him. What's more important now is getting you better." I said.

As I picked her up, bridal style, the ANBU captains arrived. I looked at Anko. "Better late than never, eh?"

"You were late too Shin." She retorted.

"That hurts, Anko."

"Where is he?" One of the ANBU asked.

"He's gone. He has marked Uchiha Sasuke with the curse seal. I saw on the way. Nothing you do will make a difference to whether he lives or dies now, so you may as well let him work through it, and hope for the best." I told them.

"Martial law must be implemented the moment Orochimaru shows up! That is the law Hokage-sama passed when he became a missing-nin!" He replied.

" I know, but Anko here needs medical treatment, so I'll take her to the tower. Have the Hokage meet us at there, Anko'll explain everything there." I said.

"Alright. If you insist. I'll have to report this though." They scattered, looking for evidence, with one heading back to the Hokage.

"You seem to be pretty close with those ANBU captains," Anko said.

"What can I say? The only reason I'm not one, is because I don't want to be. I'm easily strong enough. Hold on tight, you don't want me to drop you, do you?" I said.

She grabbed my vest. I created a clone, and told him to watch out for anybody else. "No thanks." He said.

"What?" I asked. "You're supposed to do what I ask."

"Yeah, but would you rather I watched for others, or played the MGS3 theme on violin?" He said, pulling a violin out from somewhere and started playing.

"You know what, I would prefer that. I'm not even mad. My skills with any instrument are amazing." I summoned the other two clones for accompaniment. "I'm only annoyed because now I want to crawl around, killing crabs and snakes with a knife, big boss style." I said. I started jumping, branch to branch, to the tower, with three clones, following me, playing music.

"That's pretty good," Anko said, "What is it?"

"Music." I replied.

"Hardy ha ha." She said. "No really?"

"It's music!" I insisted. I looked at her, "Alright, it's a song I know. I don't know the name, but it's used in a game."

"Alright then." She relented. "How much longer will we be?" She asked.

"I'll go round the forest if you keep talking." I threatened. "It'll be about five more minutes. I can't go too fast carrying you, I'd probably kill you with the speed."

* * *

Tower

Once I arrived at the tower, I recalled the clones, wondering where they got the damn instruments from, and why they had their own agenda. _'Even if I didn't mind it.'_

I ran, carrying Anko, to the medical ward. "Hey, I need a little help here." I said to one of the medical staff.

"What is it?" The man turned, and saw me carrying a bloodied Anko. "What happened?!"

"She was attacked by Orochimaru. Or more specifically, she attacked him, but let's to dilly dally on the details." I placed her on a bed.

The medic-nin checked her over. "Mostly cuts and bruises, deep wound on left hand, and very low chakra levels. Aside from the chakra deficiency, it shouldn't take long to treat." He said. He began treating her immediately. Not too long later, a man burst through the door.

"Anko-san! There is something we must report!" The other man said.

"What is it?" She asked, sitting up.

"Take a look at this!" He said, holding a tape in his hand. _'VHS cassette, now that's old.'_

Anko and I followed him out, to the protests of the medic-nin. He took us to a room with large monitors ad a lot of cables. Putting the cassette in the drive, a video started playing. "Look at the time!" He said.

Anko was shocked.

"This is the recording of the second test, 1 hour and 37 minutes in!" The Gaara and his team appeared. "The three shinobi from the sand country have passed the second test!"

"How is that possible?" Anko asked.

"In only 97 minutes, this is the fastest time, ever. The fastest time before that, was four hours. They demolished it!" He said.

"That's not all." Anko said. "From the arena entrance, to the tower is around 10 km. Wild beasts, poisonous insects, rough terrain, they made it seem as if it was nothing. Especially that red haired kid."

"What about him?" He asked.

"Haven't you noticed?" She asked. "Not a single scratch on him. Not only that, he is completely clean, not even a speck of dirt on his clothes."

"I can tell you why." I said. Anko looked at me, interested. "His ability, it's the control of sand. He can control any sand, but he has sand in that gourd of his, infused with chakra, and incredibly hard to break through. They call it the ultimate defense. Unsurprising since it defends him automatically, regardless of his will. It's why he's never been hurt."

"How do you know?" The chuunin asked.

"I had him and his team over for dinner, with Naruto's team a couple of days ago." I replied. "Anyway, rewind the recording of him a little further back, and you'll see what I mean."

The chuunin rewound the tape, and we watched Gaara decimate the Ame genin. After we saw Gaara leave the area, leaving Kiba's team unmolested, the chuunin turned the tape off.

"Well, you were completely right." Anko said.

* * *

After the Hokage arrived with Izumo and Kotetsu later that day, and we explained everything, he let out a sigh of an old man, weighed down by the past. Anko rubbed the curse mark. "Orochimaru," The Hokage said, "I really should never have let him go. I knew he'd come back one day. Anyway, Anko, does your curse mark still hurt?" He asked, taking a puff of his pipe.

"No, the pain has receded. It's just a dull ache right now." She replied. I handed her her coat back. "Thanks."

"Orochimaru, he's one of the legendary Sannin, right?" Kotetsu asked. "Isn't he an S-class missing-nin in the bingo book? I heard he already died."

"Why's he coming back now?" Izumo asked.

"Like I said, he marked Sasuke. His rebirth technique needs a live body to transfer himself into, or something like that. He marked the Uchiha for it, because of his dojutsu. After all, Orochimaru's goal is to learn all techniques in the world, and that would make it a hell of a lot easier." I answered.

"Well, let's continue the exam as planned, and we'll keep an eye out for Orochimaru." The Hokage said.

"Of course." Anko and I replied.

"Well," The Hokage smiled. "At least I can use this as an excuse to get away from all that work early!"

"Would you like something to eat?" I asked him.

"Ah, yes!" He replied quickly. "I never get a chance to eat good food, all that work stops me from going to a good restaurant, you know."

I quickly whipped up a simple meal, and handed it to him.

"Thank you Hiruma." He said. "I'll head off then."

"Bye." I said, as the Hokage, Kotetsu and Izumo left.

* * *

"Well then, what are you gonna do for the next four days or so?" I asked Anko.

"Fuck all. I have to stay in the tower, and there's no entertainment here." She said.

"Why don't we go see the other jonin?" I asked.

"Why not." She said. Getting up, she draped her arm over my shoulder.

"Why Anko, I didn't know you felt that way!" I said, in mock confusion.

"Piss off, I'm still a little weak in the knees." She said.

"I know, I tend to have that effect on women." I joked. She punched me in the ribs with her other arm. "That wasn't very nice." I said.

"Whatever, let's go." She said.

We hobbled our way down to the relaxation room, and entered. Only Kakashi and Gai were there at the moment.

"Anko, I didn't expect you to come here." Kakashi said. "You're not exactly the most social person."

"Yeah, well there's fuck all to do in this place." She said, as she lounged down on one of the couches.

I sat down too. "Why don't we play cards?" I asked.

"Cards?" Gai asked.

"Yeah," I pulled out a deck of playing cards. "Who knows how to play Texas Hold 'em?" I asked.

Gai and Kakashi said they didn't. "I've never played cards." Anko said.

"Really? You don't look like someone who hasn't played before." I said.

"I never know if you're insulting me, Shin." She said.

I explained the rules to her and the others. Once they got them, I said I'd deal. "Kakashi, no sharingan. I'm gonna keep it honest, so I would expect you to do the same."

He raised his hands. "Hey, hey, I'm an honest man."

"Sure. Anyway, we're not using these. They are my specially made cards." I said.

"Special?" Anko asked.

"Yeah, watch." I grabbed the top card, and placing it between my middle and ring finger, flicked my wrist fast, and released it. It flew incredibly fast, and embedded itself deep into the brick wall.

"That's awesome!" Anko exclaimed. "You gotta get me some of those!"

"Hell no! You haven't even played cards before, let alone threw them. I couldn't trust you with a new toy that could decapitate people." I said. "You'd probably practice on innocent bystanders."

She sulked a little. "So? They just need to dodge."

I grabbed another deck, a normal one, and started handing out the cards. "You know the rules. Anko, If you need help, just ask me. Kakashi, Gai, you can help yourselves."

"It's fine, I think I've played this before. It wasn't called Texas Hold 'em though." Kakashi said.

"Alright!" Gai suddenly shouted. "I challenge you Kakashi! Whoever has more chips at the end, wins!"

"Can't we do this some other time?" Kakashi asked.

"No Kakashi! Don't forget, I am beating you! 50 to 49!" Gai shouted.

"Alright, alright."

"Good! You are most youthful, Kakashi!"

"Yeah, sit down. Do you want to play or not?" I said.

Gai immediately sat down, anxious to defeat his 'Eternal Rival'.

* * *

We played for a while, sometimes Gai won, sometimes Kakashi, but in the end, they were both so confident in their cards, they both went all in.

Anko decided to go all in too. I laid out the last two cards in the middle, and they all laid out theirs. Kakashi and Gai quickly checked to see which one of them had won. Gai had a full house, nines full of sevens, but Kakashi had a four of a kind, all sixes. "Dammit Kakashi! You have beaten me once again! Now we are even!"

Kakashi went to grab the chips before I cleared my throat. "What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" I said.

Kakashi and Gai looked over to Anko's hand, and her smug face. She had a royal flush, all spades. Kakashi slumped his head, while Gai cheered. "Haha Kakashi! It seems I am still in the lead! 50 wins, 49 losses, and our first draw!"

"Hmm, did you say something?" Kakashi replied, rubbing his ears.

"Aah! Damn you and your hip attitude, Kakashi!"

Kakashi just rubbed his ears again. Anko looked at me. "So what did I win?" She asked.

"You won the feeling of satisfaction at winning." I said.

"That's the worst prize ever." She said.

"Well what did you expect? You're playing with chips, not money." I replied.

Kakashi and Gai left, saying they were hungry, and I sat back down, next to Anko. "Alright," I relented. "I'll give you a choice out of three prizes. Will that placate you?"

"It depends on the prizes." She said, eyes lighting up at the thought of getting something good.

"Ok. First choice," I said in my best game show hosts voice, "A set of beautifully crafted kunai, or knives, customized however you wish. Second choice, an entire wardrobe of new clothes, tailor made to yourself and your specifications. Third, and last choice, a years supply of massages, to be redeemed whenever you wish, up to once a day. I'd like to point out that all of these choices will be supplied by me, and I am incredibly good at them all."

She started thinking intently. "Ooh, I can't choose!" She said.

"How about this. For the weapons and wardrobe, how about you tell me now how you'd like them, and I'll draw them. That way you can choose more easily by seeing what you'll be getting."

"What about the massage?" She asked.

I walked behind her, and gave her a quick sample. "How's that?" I said, rubbing her shoulders.

"You've made the choice even harder," She said, a small smile on her face. She started explaining her ideas for the first two choices, and I let go of her shoulders, to her displeasure, and drew the ideas on two pieces of paper.

"Alright," I said, holding up an incredibly realistic drawing of a knife. "The knives. The handles are two black snakes, entwined around a canister of deadly poison, which can be released to coat the blade at a push of a button. It is perfectly balanced, so it will be simple to learn to throw it. The blade itself, is eight inches long, dual edged, surgically sharpened, that will stay in good condition for years, as long as it is taken care of." I placed the picture in front of her.

"Wow! You're really good at drawing!" She said.

"Like I said, I'm good at everything."

"You never said that." She replied.

"Didn't I?" I asked, "Well, I did now." I held up the other picture, a very accurate representation of Anko, wearing the customized clothes.

"If I asked for the clothes to be nothing, would you have drawn me naked?" She asked, impishly.

"Probably," I said, offhandedly. "Though I can't modify nothing. Anyway, the clothes. mainly, it's a new coat and fishnet bodysuit. The bodysuit is the same, appearance-wise, is the same. The difference is the material it is made from. The new one will be made of a special fabric, that will stop slashes from most weapons. Stabs, and other thrusting attacks it will be unable to defend. You know, if you wore something more substantial than that fishnet, it'd be easier to improve."

"Well I like wearing it. It's not restrictive, and it shows my, assets." She said, grabbing her breasts.

"Hey, I'm not complaining!" I said. "I like it, I think it looks pretty nice! I'm just saying it's not exactly, weapon stopping material. Anyway, the coat, it's made of a much sturdier material, able to completely defend against normal thrown kunai, unless they're infused with chakra, softens physical blows, and as a result, is a little heavier than your current one. Like you asked, it would have concealed pockets, holsters for weapons, steel in the elbows, isn't flammable, is waterproof, and comes with a medical kit, with antidotes and other necessities sowed into the inside."

I put that picture next to the first one, in front of her.

"So, offensive weapons, defensive clothing, or, well, massages." I said.

"This is a really hard choice. I mean, I could simply buy the first two, but they probably wouldn't be as good as yours."

"I doubt the massages would be either." I said.

"Yeah, that too," She said, biting her nails. "Hey, I couldn't get a bandana like yours, could I?"

"No, this ones mine, like the cards. I sowed the leaf village symbol on it myself. It's more comfortable than the forehead protector though." I replied.

She sat, stewing over the decision before piping up. "Option three."

"Really?" I was a little surprised. "I expected you to go for the knives."

"I was thinking about it, but I realized, a years worth of massages, from someone as good as you, is way too good to pass up." She replied.

"Well, at least it'll be something to pass the time until the end of this test." I said. '_I ain't gonna deny that I'm happy with her choice.'_ "Now, I'm no pervert, but to give a massage to someone as hot as her, is pretty awesome."

"What was that?" She said, looking up at me. "That does sound pretty perverted."

"Uh, I was thinking out loud." I grimaced. "That came out better in my head. I usually think there, but it seems some of my thoughts leaked out." I grimaced further. "That also sounded better in my head. I'll shut up now." I closed my mouth. _'Damn inner m__onologue'_

"Why Shin, I didn't know you felt that way!" She mimicked me.

I motioned a zip across my mouth, to tell her I wasn't saying another word.

"Well, let's go back to my room. I want my massage." I dutifully followed, slowly realizing that I had just forced myself into a contract to be at Anko's beck and call, once a day, for a year. _'I didn't think this through well enough.' _Making sure I wasn't speaking out loud again, I thought, _'I'm still_ _not exactly unhappy about this,' _

* * *

"Alright then, get massaging!" She told me.

"Yeah yeah. Do you want a back massage, or just your shoulders?" I asked.

"Back." She replied.

"Alright, take off your top."

"Isn't it a little early for that?" She asked, grinning.

"Stop with the innuendo already. I'm giving you free massages here. Now take off your top, and lie down on the bed."

"What your saying sounds more like innuendo to me." She said. I turned around, and heard her take her top off. "You know, you can look if you want. I've known you for two years, and if there's anything I know about you, it's that you are quite innocent."

"That I am." I said, turning around. My face froze. "You know Anko, I said top, not all of your clothes." I stared at her naked body, thinking to myself about what an incredible physique she has. _'And how hot she is, of course.'_

Holding her hips, naked except for her necklace, she said, "Yeah, well the bodysuit is a one piece, and I can't take it off without taking the skirt off, so there."

"Why Anko, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were trying to seduce me," I said. "Nice necklace by the way."

"Thanks, it's a snake fang." She replied.

"Big snake." I replied. "Now, do you want the massage or not?"

She walked over to the bed, and lay down. I grabbed a towel, and was about to put it over her lower body before she stopped me. "Leave it like that, it's warm enough in here as it is. Besides, I might decide to have a full body massage." She said mischievously.

I took my pads, utility belt, holster, and jonin vest off. I laid my bandanna on the bedside, got on the bed, and leaned in to her ear. "Anko," I said softly. "If you want something from me, just say it." She didn't say anything. I started slowly massaging her back as I talked. "You know me, I'm not a judgmental person, whatever you say won't change my opinion of you for the worse. I value honesty above all else." She stayed quiet. _'Well, I've got to give a little, if I want to get a little.' _"Alright then, Anko, let me tell you something about me I've never told anyone before." I felt her tense at this. "Firstly, I'm going to tell you that the reason I don't tell anyone about myself unless they ask specifically, and even then, I give misleading answers. It is because I find it impossible to truly trust someone." She faced me fully now. I knew she knew what I meant. "Now Anko, while I have never been betrayed like you before, it's not because I'm any better than you, it's simply because I never trusted anyone with anything important to me. Alright, let's do a little example." I stopped massaging for a second. "Anko, ask me about my sexual preferences." _'This is the easiest example to use.'_

"Okay, what are your sexual preferences?" She asked.

"Well I'm not gay, Anko. Do you really think I would be so eager to get my hands on you if I was?"

She blushed a little.

"So, from that answer, what is my sexual preference?" I asked.

"You're straight." She said.

"Nope." I said taking a hand off and wagging a finger. "I'm bisexual. But that's not the point. The point is, I never stated what I was, just what I wasn't, and implied that I was straight using certain words, giving you the answer that I was straight, yet never lying about the truth." I started massaging again. "Do you see what I mean?"

"Yeah. But what's the secret that you've never told anyone?"

"Well, that was something nobody knows about me, but not what I was going to tell you. Before I do, I'll tell you why I'm gonna tell you. I want you to understand something about me. I never say something I don't mean, and there is never a subtle undertone. As I said, I value honesty above all else. As long as people are honest with me, I couldn't hate them. You remember when we met?" I asked.

"Yeah, it was at that bar." She replied.

"Right, I'd just became a jonin, so I was celebrating. I saw you, and asked for your name. Remember what you said?"

"I said 'piss off'." She smiled.

"And I said, 'Hi Piss Off, I'm Shin.'" I chuckled to myself again, at the apparent hilarity of that. "That was pretty funny. You even smirked a little before telling me to piss off again. I'm digressing. My point is, even though you told me to piss off to my face, I didn't hold it against you. Anyway, the reason I will tell you is because you are somewhat like me. An outsider, unable to trust other, albeit for different reasons." I stopped and thought about what to say for a few moments. "You know what, I really don't know what to say, except to ask you if you trust me."

"To an extent." She said.

"Do you believe that I would never lie to you?"

"To a higher extent." She said.

"So when I say, that whatever you tell me, will never pass my lips," I paused, "Wait, saying that, I could write it down and show someone. You see, you could say I'm trying to enter a contract, otherwise I always try to find loopholes. Do you believe that whatever you tell me, will never found out by anyone else, under my own will, and only if you so wish it?"

"I believe you."

"So then, tell me. My word is my bond. I will not embarrass you by this, so there is no need to fear. Although I never expected you to be so timid. I'll wait for you to tell me whatever it is, and I'll never push for it." I said, and silently waited for a response, still massaging.

I was massaging for at least ten minutes while I watched her thinking hard about what she was going to say, and if she even should. She suddenly opened her mouth. "Shin. I trusted Orochimaru, and he betrayed me. I'm sure you already know that, right?"

"Yes." I stated.

"So you know why it's so hard for me to trust again, under the circumstances of the betrayal."

"Yes." I repeated.

"Would you be able to say that you would never betray me?" She asked.

"No." I replied instantly.

She looked surprised. "I didn't think you'd say that. Why?"

"Because if I was, at any point, not in control of my actions, and was forced, or controlled to betray you, and I couldn't do anything about it, I cannot say otherwise. What I can say though, is that as long as there is a single muscle I can use, a single breath in my body, I would sooner take my gun and fire it into my skull, than betray anyone I care about. If you were to ask if I would ever make the choice to betray you, the answer would be a resounding no. Just remember, no matter what, I would never ridicule you, or make you feel anything about yourself, except who you are."

She didn't reply for a few moments. "Shin?" She said eventually.

I stopped massaging. "Yes?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?" She asked, before turning over, and pulling my face towards hers, and violently kissed me. I couldn't think, I was simply engrossed in the moment right were kissing, tongue and all for a few seconds, before she pulled back, and looked at me, searching for any sign of a reaction, good or bad.

I looked into her eyes, paused, and said, "Well they have, but nobodies ever stopped me like that." I paused for a second. "So, would I be right in assuming that's the end of the massage?"

"Hell yes!" She grinned, before pulling me back in. She stopped. "But I still want more."

"So do I." I replied, kissing her, more passionately now than earlier, and what followed, was not something for little kids to see.

* * *

Lying down, with her in my arms, I thought to myself. 'This_ night, was the best night of my life.' _I smiled. _'The best night of my life, so far.' _I added in my head.

* * *

**Author's note: I put a link for the new look on my profile. Also, I really need some helpful feedback on this one. I've never written about anything like this, the last part, I mean, and since, like my character, have never had this sort of conversation, I don't know how it would go, so I just winged it. It's also why I didn't even try to make a lemon out of it, I'd probably balls it up and completely embarrass myself. At least I'm back to original content, rather than reading the manga, and taking most of the story from there, as I did in the Wave arc. I'll try to diversify more from now on. I seem to be using a lot of commas in this authors note.  
**

**Also, I had a message asking why I never put more detail into how the relationship between the characters developed. I figured I'd put it here as well, in case anyone else was wondering. Basically, it's Shin's story, the events around him, and Naruto plays a big part in it. To simplify it, only the parts that Shin would find important, woulds be in this story. And other minor details of course, like a mental diary.  
**

**Anyway, once again, thanks for reading.**


	13. Every Man Has His Faults

_Chapter 12 - Every Man Has His Faults  
_

_'Thinking'_

**_'Mind Talking'_**

"Talking"

I do not own Naruto or any references made in this story to movies, TV-shows or games, or anything for that matter.

* * *

Tower

Laying next to Anko, with her sleeping in my arms, I thought about last night. _'That wasn't something I expected to happen when I came to the tower yesterday.' _I slowly slipped out of bed, making sure I didn't wake her up. It was difficult, considering how light ninja sleep, but not impossible. I put on my underwear, and checked the time. It was around 8:00. _'We really tired ourselves out last night. Well, she did. I have the stamina of superman taking steroids.' _I walked over to the small kitchen, and made some breakfast in bed. Finishing the red bean soup, which I knew she liked, I walked back over to her, and wafted it under her nose. Comedically, her head started following the smell of the soup. After amusing myself for a couple of seconds, I decided to wake her up.

"Anko, I've got you a present." I said.

Anko blearily opened her eyes, but woke up quickly when she saw the soup. I handed it to her, and her face lit up. "Thanks Shin. I've never had anyone cook me breakfast in bed before." She told me. "You even cooked me my favourite."

"Of course, I wouldn't cook something you didn't like." I replied. I got back into bed. As Anko started eating, I asked her what made her choose to do this.

She finished her soup before replying. "I've known you for two years. As you know, I have trust issues, and if I was going to have a relationship, it had to be someone, who wouldn't betray me, like he did. Ever since you came on my radar, when you adopted Naruto. I already knew Naruto's situation, with how the village treats him, and I could relate, because a lot of the village shuns me, due to my relationship with Orochimaru. So when you took him in, knowing why, I kept tabs on you. As time went on, I could see the sort of person you were, and not too long ago, I realized that you were the kind of person I would be able to become close with."

"But why now?" I asked.

"Well, you were offering massages, and I got all hot and bothered. I figured, if I'm gonna make a move, now's a good a time as any."

"Makes sense." I started massaging her shoulders. "This one's on the house."

A couple of minutes later, she said, "I need to take a piss."

"Very ladylike." I replied. She got up, and I watched her stumble for a second, before going to the bathroom, completely naked. _'Making her walk funny, I didn't think I'd do that for my first time. Although, considering I can alter my body, have nigh infinite stamina, and information on almost anything, including the human anatomy, the cards were definitely stacked in my favour. She really is hot as fuck though.' _She came back a minute later, and got back into bed.

"Don't you have instructor duties or something?" I asked her.

"Nope, not until the Forest of Death part is over, anyway." She replied, holding me tight. _'Very tight. It's almost as if she's unconsciously afraid I'd disappear. I guess that betrayal affected her more than she thinks.'_

I placed my arm around her, and pulled her closer. "That was my first, you know." She said suddenly.

"Really? It was mine too. Don't take this the wrong way, but you act pretty promiscuous. I thought you had before." I replied.

"Well, for some reason, anyone who hits on me, gets scared away." She said, mock confusion.

"It's probably because you keep cutting them, and licking up their blood." I said, touching such a wound she gave me last night, on the side of my neck.

"I didn't overdo it, did I?" She asked me.

"No, I even joined in, didn't I?" I replied, pointing to one I gave her, on her neck. "You should always try new things."

"Yeah, that surprised me." She admitted.

"Anyway, as good as your blood tastes, I'd rather taste your lips." I said, before kissing her.

For the next few days, until the end of the test, we stayed almost solely in that room, aside from some supply rooms, keeping ourselves occupied with each other.

* * *

A Few Days Later

The intercom buzzed, and Anko went to answer it. "Anko," I said, "That's a video intercom, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Are you sure you're dressed properly?" I asked.

She looked down and saw what clothes she was wearing, or lack thereof. "I don't know, do you?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind seeing it, but I'm sure that whomever's on the other side, isn't prepared to see you, dressed only in your birthday suit, even if they would like to." I replied, chucking her my bathrobe.

She put the black robe on, and answered it. "What is it?"

"Anko-sama!" A chuunin said, "We have confirmed that 21 have passed the second test. In accordance with the rules, for the first time in five years, we will hold a preliminary round before the third test. The second test is now complete."

"Thank you for informing me." Anko said, and shut off the intercom. She turned to me. "Well that's the end of this fun then."

"Doesn't mean we can't resume at a later date," I said, grabbing her butt cheek.

She playfully slapped my hand off. "Shin, I want to ask you not to let anyone know of our new relationship yet."

"I understand," I replied, "You don't want to let anyone know, just in case it doesn't work out between us."

She waved her hands, "No, no, it's not like that." She said, unconvincingly.

"Don't lie to me. Don't you remember that I value honesty above all else?" I asked. "When I say I understand, I mean I understand. I don't mean that I'm feeling bitter because of your choice, simply that I understand. Remember, I don't leave anything between the lines when I say something, I only speak the truth."

"Alright, that is why I don't want to tell anyone." She admitted. "Since my betrayal, I don't let anyone close. You're the only one who's been this close to me. I have a few friends, but nothing like us. I don't want other peoples pity if we don't work out."

"Alright then." I said. "We'll just have to make it work out then won't we?" I said. "When you're ready to tell the others, I'll be right beside you, figuratively and literally." I looked around. "We'd better get dressed then. I have a surprise for you." I said.

She turned her head, an eyebrow raised, and a glint in her eyes. "Where is it?" She asked.

"It'll be here in 3, 2, 1," A knock at the door was heard. "Come in!" I shouted.

"What the hell! I don't want anyone else to know yet!" She hissed at me, hiding.

"Why are you hiding, we're in your room." I said, as the door opened.

Anko popped her head up, over the couch to see who it was. It was my clone, holding a package. "Hiruma Mail." My clone pulled out a clipboard and started pointing at it. "Sign here, here, initials here, drop of blood here, summon the Lord Satan here, and that'll be 150,000 ryo."

"I only have a few pounds, here." I said, and punched him a couple of times. I dispelled him, and grabbed the package. I closed the door, and turned to her, and was met by a flying kunai in my arm. "Rude." I said, pulling it out of my arm.

"Well that wasn't funny." She said.

"Well then I apologize. Anyway, do you want the gift?" I asked, focusing on healing the wound.

She launched herself over the couch, grabbed the package, and felt it. "It's softish. What is it?"

"You've got the package, find out." I replied, and watched her rip it open.

"Another coat and fishnet?" She asked.

"Not just any coat and fishnet, the same ones I was offering you for the other prize." I replied.

She checked the pockets, and felt the elbows of the coat to see if I was telling the truth. "But I never asked for this, I chose option 3?" She said.

"Yeah well, after that night, I decided to allow you all three choices." I said. "It's lucky you chose the massages, otherwise I wouldn't have done it. After all, if I had, I'd seem like a bit of a pervert, desperate to get his hands on you."

"Well, you didn't seem like you were keeping them off me earlier." She replied.

"Well who can resist that body of yours?" I asked rhetorically. "I wouldn't have tried to get in your pants, no matter how much I wanted to."

"Why not? Did you want to, before?" She asked me.

"Yeah, since I met you. You were, and still are the hottest girl I have ever met." I confessed.

"Well why didn't you say anything?" She asked again.

"Because I didn't want to embarrass myself if I didn't get the answer I was hoping for." I admitted. "That's why I've only had one girlfriend before, and we never even got past dating. Because I never make the first move. It's probably something with my personality. I should see a psychiatrist, maybe he can ask the right questions, for me to find the right answers. I might be a little crazy, who knows."

She patted me on the back. "It doesn't matter anyway. We are now, so whatever might have happened, doesn't matter." She said.

"Yeah, I know that." I replied. "Now let's get ready for the prelim's. Also, the first option, the knives, they'll be on their way soon too. It just takes a little longer to make something as intricate as them."

She got a little excited. "I can't wait! I want to test them out right now!"

"Yeah, well I'm glad you're not. I'm the only target in here, and I don't feel like suffering through the blood cleansing process that follows a poisoning." I replied. grabbing my clothes.

She started putting hers on, new fishnet first. "This feels kinda the same." She said. I grabbed the kunai she threw at me, and slid it across her back. "What the hell!" She said, jumping away.

"See, it didn't cut through. O ye of little faith." I said, passing her kunai back to her. After I was dressed, I grabbed my bandanna, and wrapped it back on my head. I bent slightly, and gave her a kiss, remarking to myself how much difference there was in height. _'I'm at least eleven inches taller than her. Her head barely comes up to my chin.' _"Ready when you are."

"Let's go." She said, opening the door.

* * *

Tower Arena

I was standing at ease, between Anko and Hayate. The passing teams filed in, and stood in three ranks in front of us.

"First off, for the second test," Anko said, through her microphone, "Congratulations on passing!"

At that, both the genin, and instructors started muttering to each other.

"I didn't expect there to be so many passing." She said.

"Well Ibiki did tell you that there were many more skilled genin this time around." I reminded her.

After a few moments, letting the genin talk for a minute, Anko started speaking again. "Quieten down! Hokage-sama will now explain the third test! Listen carefully."

"Thank you." The Hokage replied. He started speaking to the genin. "For the upcoming third test, before I explain that, there is something I'd like you to know. It concerns the true reason for the exams." After going on his long-winded speech on how the exams are a replacement for war, and the performances of the ninja there would affect how many clients we get, he got to the third test. "I'd like to explain the third test, but, actually-"

The sickly looking Hayate made his way to the Hokage and kneeled in front of him. "I apologize, Hokage-sama. From here on, as the referee, I would like to explain."

"By all means." He replied.

"Thank you," Hayate said, getting up and facing the genin. "Hello everyone, I am Hayate. Before the third test, there's something I'd like you to do." He coughed. "It's a preliminary for the third test, to decide who gets to participate in the third test."

The genin were in an uproar. "What the hell do you mean?! We passed the second test!" One shouted.

"Yes, well it may have been too easy. You see, as you know, the third test is in a large arena, viewed by many highly respected people, and with so many of you, the final test would go on for too long. The last time we had a preliminary was five years ago. It's in the rules. So anyway, anyone who isn't feeling too well, or for any other reason feels they cannot continue, raise your hands. You are not being tested as a team anymore, so if you leave, your teammates can still go on."

He watched the genin. Only one raised his hand. _'Kabuto, of course.' _"Umm, I'm going to quit." Kabuto said.

Hayate looked over his list of genin. "You're Yakushi Kabuto of Konoha, right? You may take your leave now, then. Does anyone else wish to retire?"

Nobody else did. The Hokage and Anko discussed Kabuto's service record, and his background. As Kabuto left, I saw Sasuke wince, and clutch his neck. I motioned to him with my head, to Anko.

"So no-one else is retiring?" Hayate asked.

Everyone was silent.

"We should remove him from the exam, and have ANBU watching him." Anko said to the Hokage, regarding Sasuke.

"He won't agree to that." Kakashi said.

"Then we will force him to!" Anko told him. "Just by releasing chakra, the curse mark becomes active and forces it out. It eats at the users body. It's a miracle he's still standing!" She turned to the Hokage for support. "Hokage-sama?!"

"What Orochimaru said is still fresh on my mind. Let's let Sasuke continue, and we will watch over him." He said. "If the curse mark activates, we'll stop it."

Anko still wasn't happy. I tapped her on the shoulder, and leaned in. "Anko, it'll be fine. Trust me." She relaxed. "I never lie, remember?"

Hayate explained the rules of the preliminaries. "Alright then, let's find out the first two opponents." Everybody watched as Sasuke's and Yoroi's name came up. "Everybody except the two opponents, make your way up to the viewing area."

Once everybody had gotten to the upper level, I made my way to Naruto in the viewing area. "Nii-san!" Naruto shouted, waving.

"Yeah, I see you. Why'd do you think I'm coming your way?" I asked. "Anyway, I'm only staying for this first match." I said.

"Why?" Haku asked.

"Because I have better things to do than watch you lot kick the others' asses." I said, confident in their ability to win.

"Ah! Himura-san! Is that you?" I head a voice ask me. I turned around, and noticed a bowl-cut, green bodysuit wearing sparkle toothed boy looking at me.

"Rock Lee? It's been a while." I said.

"Hiruma? I didn't know you knew my protégé." Gai said to me.

"Yes! Hiruma-san was the first person to believe that I could become a true ninja using only taijutsu!" Rock Lee told Gai.

"Really!" Gai shouted. "You are an even nicer guy than I thought!" He said, giving me the patented nice guy pose.

"It's nothing, really." I replied. "You really don't need chakra to become a good ninja. The way I see it, having normal, or no chakra, makes it easier to slip by security undetected. Lee would be perfect for stealth missions, with his physical abilities." I said. "Look, the match is starting." At least Tenten didn't notice me, she was to engrossed in the match to grill me about my weapons again.

Everybody started watching the match. Once I realized it would be pretty much the same as before, my mind wandered. I started making balls of ice, and throwing them at Gaara, to watch his sand defend him. As he started getting annoyed, I started to throw even more, throwing curveballs, some over him, amusing myself. I stopped when I realized there was a pile of ice around him, and saw Sasuke finish Yoroi off with his plagiarized 'Lion's Barrage'. After he was declared the winner, I turned to Naruto and Haku. "See, there's no way you lot'll lose. If he can knock seven shades of shit outta him, without even using any chakra, you'll easily win."

"Yeah, well Sasuke can't exactly use his chakra. He has a cursed seal on him." Naruto said.

"How'd you know?" I asked.

"He told me after I got my ass handed to me by this obviously not a genin, snake dude." Naruto answered.

_'So he told Naruto this time around.' _"I knew about the seal, but I didn't know you knew." I said. "Anyway, I'll be off. You can tell me how well you got on after."

* * *

I walked over to Anko. "Want another massage?" I whispered in her ear.

"Fuck yes." She said. "Even though that Uchiha managed to control the seal somewhat, I'm still pretty annoyed that he was allowed to fight. I need to blow off a little steam."

"Well, let's go back to your room. If you want, you can leave a clone here in your place, but I doubt they'll need your help until after the matches are over. That'll be a while at least anyway." I replied.

She made a clone without anyone noticing, they were mostly focused on the match between Shino and Zaku.

Back at her room, she took her top off, and I massaged her shoulders, helping to loosen her up. "Relax. I'll make sure you're back before it's over." I said. I felt some of the tension leave her shoulders once I said that. After a few minutes, I summoned a clone. "You," _'I really need to name them again.' _"Go down, and inform me once the matches are almost over.'

"Sure." He said, and walked back to the arena.

"Alright then. Anko, come here." I sat down on the bed, back against the wall, and Anko curled up against me. _'It's weird how different her personality is when she's alone with someone she's this close to.' _I put my arms around her, and held her close, wrapping the blanket around us. I closed my eyes and dozed off, listening to her heartbeat. Quite a feat, her heart being almost one and a half feet away.

**_'Boss! Choji's getting his ass handed to him! It's almost over!'_**

I woke up. **_'Thanks' _**I thought back to him, and dispelled him, receiving his memories. Flicking through them, the matches had been largely the same, except for Haku taking Sakura's place against Ino, and beating her easily, and Naruto defeating Kiba in a much less humiliating fashion. "Anko, time to go." I said, taking off the blanket.

"Do we have to?" She asked, getting up and putting her coat on quickly, pulling it tight. "Now it's cold," She whined.

"Yeah, we do. Here," I said, and placed my hand on her coat. I warmed it up, to a nice toasty temperature. "There you go." I looked at her. "How about I keep you warm?" I asked.

"And how are you gonna do that?" She scoffed.

"Like this." I shifted into a Mexican black kingsnake and slithered over to her. _'That sounds so weird. Is it slithered, or crawled?' _She knelt down, and I slithered up her arm inside the sleeve, coiling myself around it on the way, crawled around her neck, and ended with my head resting atop her breasts, the rest of my body still coiled around her. I warmed myself up, weird considering snakes are cold blooded creatures.

"Ooh, that's nice." Anko said. She fluffed her coat, and left the room.

* * *

Arena

Anko retook her place, and dispelled her clone. I saw her mulling as she received the memories, and then smiled a little. "They really are a special group this year, aren't they?" She muttered. I created a clone of myself to stay on the upper level.

Hayate officially ended the preliminary tests, and everybody who both passed, and was here, made their way to the decimated fighting arena. The only one who won, and wasn't there was Sasuke. All in all, ten in total won the preliminaries.

"To all of you who won the right to compete in the chuunin exams, even though one is unavailable right now, congratulations!" Hayate said. "Alright then, Hokage-sama, if you would."

"Thank you Hayate. Now," The Hokage started, "I'd like to explain to you all what the third test entails. As you know, you will be watched by many important people, and will have to be at your best. That is why the third test will be one month from now."

"We're not doing it now?" Naruto asked.

"This break, will be very helpful for preparations In addition to healing and resting from the previous fights, the one month period will allow you to train, and prepare to fight your enemy. The preliminaries taught you about fighting an unknown enemy, but the next one, will allow you to prepare beforehand."

The genin muttered amongst themselves for a moment, before the Hokage continued. "I'd like to dismiss you now, but there's something that needs to be done now. Anko," He said.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Anko walked over to a box, picked it up and explained what it was. "This box contains slips of paper, numbered one to ten. You will each take one slip of paper, and we will tell you who your opponent will be from that." She walked to each genin, and let them each take one slip of paper each.

"Alright, now that everyone has one, tell us which number you have, left to right." The Hokage said.

After they all called out their numbers, Ibiki wrote them down on a piece of paper on his clipboard. "Then Sasuke is number 4." He said, after everybody had finished.

"Alright," The Hokage said, "Ibiki, show them the match ups."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Ibiki replied, turning his clipboard around, and showing them who they would be up against.

The match ups were as follows:

First Matches

1st match, Neji vs Naruto

2nd match, Gaara vs Sasuke

3rd match, winner of 1st match vs Haku

4th match, Kankuro vs Shino

5th match, winner of 2nd match vs Dosu

6th match, Temari vs Shikamaru

Semifinal

1st match, winner of 3rd and 4th matches

2nd match, winner of 5th and 6th matches

Finals

Winner of semifinal matches.

_'Ugh, what a headache. The match ups have changed a little, and there's an extra match in there, not to mention the fact that when they fight has changed too. The third match wouldn't usually be Naruto again already. At least it won't make too much of a difference, considering how late Sasuke will be. It might change a little.'_

"Well then, you're free to strategize and train as you like." The Hokage said. "I will dismiss you now. Are there any questions before you go?"

Shikamaru raised a hand. "I would like to ask a question. Since it's a tournament, doesn't that mean there can only be one winner, therefore only one person can become chuunin?" He asked. The other genin perked up at this.

"Not quite," The Hokage answered. "There will be judges, including myself and the Kazekage, who will deliberate on who is suited to become chuunin. They will be watching your abilities, how you act, and judge whether you have the qualities needed to become a chuunin. That means you could become a chuunin even if you lost your first match, as long as you showed the necessary qualities."

"Does that mean everybody could become a chuunin?" Temari asked.

"Yes. It's also possible that none of you will." He replied. "That's why the more times you fight, the more often you will be able to appeal to the judges. Does that answer your question?" The Hokage asked.

"Yes, thank you." Shikamaru replied.

"Well then, thank you for performing so well, and I hope to see you do the same a month from now. Dismissed!" The Hokage said.

Naruto walked up to the upper levels. "Hey nii-san!" Naruto said to my clone. "Do you know where Kakashi-sensei is?" He asked.

"He's with Sasuke," My clone replied. "But he will be training Sasuke, personally."

Naruto was crestfallen. "Why does Sasuke always get the good treatment?"

"Stop whining like a little bitch!" My clone scolded him. "Of course Kakashi's gonna train him, after all, Sasuke has the most difficult opponent, and Kakashi also has the most experience using the sharingan properly, in the village. Even more so than Sasuke's own mother. He can't train everyone, so he's gonna focus on the one who'll be able to soak in his lessons the most." I saw my clone shrug his shoulders, "It doesn't matter anyway, I know someone even better to train you."

I looked up to Anko. "I've gotta be going." I whispered.

"Why?" She replied.

"I need to take Naruto to the person who'll be training him." I said.

"Who's that?" She asked.

"Jiraiya." I replied.

Her eyes widened. "Jiraiya?! One of the leaf villages strongest ninja? One of the legendary Sannin?"

"The very one." I answered. "Do you want to come with?" I asked.

"Hell yeah I do! It's not everyday you get to meet such a famous ninja." She said.

"You know he writes those Icha Icha books right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I even have a few." She said.

"Anko, you naughty woman. What would the others think?" I said jokingly.

"Yeah yeah, let's go." She said.

* * *

After dismissing my clone, and shifting back to my normal form, I exited the tower with Naruto and Anko, and we were walking back through the forest of death back to the inner village.

Naruto was looking nervously at Anko.

"What is it, otouto?" I asked.

Naruto moved closer to me. "Two things. Why are we walking through the forest of death? And why is she here?" He asked, obviously recalling the kunai incident several days ago.

"Oh, Anko? I've known her for years." I said. "And we're walking through the forest of death, because I can't be bothered to run slow enough so you lot can keep up. When I run, I run." I said. "Besides, as long as you're with me, and the one who practically knows this place like the back of her hand, I doubt you're gonna come to any harm."

"If you say so." He replied. "Where are we going anyway?"

"To a hot spring." I answered.

"You're not gonna just relax there are you? I thought you were gonna introduce me to a 'super awesome ninja'?"

"Of course not. The ninja in question will be there." I replied.

We walked for a couple more minutes, before I got antsy.

"We've only walked about a kilometer so far." I said.

"So?" Anko asked.

"I'm gonna fly. Wanna come with me?" I asked them.

"How are we gonna do that?" Anko asked.

"You can ride me." I moved up to her ear. "I don't think you'll have much of a problem doing that now, will you?"

She blushed a little.

"Alright," I said. "Watch this." I shifted myself wings of pure white. I now had an 18 foot wingspan.

"That's pretty fucking awesome." Anko exclaimed.

"Now now, there are children present." I chided, creating a clone for Naruto. "I could have shifted into a dragon, but I think this is more aesthetically pleasing. Now, get on, or would you rather I carried you?" I asked.

They both said they'd rather be carried. Naruto said it's because he'd probably fall to his death if he tried to sit on top. My clone and I then picked them up, and jumped high into the air, full force put into it. We went flying high enough to clear the treetops, before I unfurled my wings, and caught the wind. My clone and I started heating up the air around us, to keep everyone warm. It would be cold up here, and moving at high speeds. We started flying faster and faster, reaching speeds upwards of 150 mph, before staying consistent.

It took us less than five minutes to make it to the hot springs, and I slowly flapped my wings, to bring us down softly in front of the entrance, blowing dust everywhere as I did. Everyone was staring at us, understandable, considering they'd just seem two identical men, with wings of pure white, carry two people to the hot springs.

I pulled my wings back in, and shifted back into my normal form. "Well," I said, "How was that?"

Anko fixed her hair. "That was pretty damn cool!" She said.

"Yeah, what she said!" Naruto added.

"Alright then, let's make our way in." I said, dispelling my clone, and walking through the entrance with them. "Oh, wait a minute," I said, looking at Anko.

"What?" She asked, "Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's what isn't between your legs. You're a woman, and these baths are gender split. You won't be able to come in with us." I said.

"You didn't have to put it like that." She said. "Alright, what are we gonna do?"

"Henge into a man." I said. "When we flew over, I took a look at the baths, and there's no-one else in the mens section except for Jiraiya right now, and he's not even bathing."

"Okay then." She said, made the seal, and shifted into Iruka. I looked at her, wondering why she changed into him. "It's easier if you change into someone you know." She said, practically reading my mind.

"Okay. Let's go in." We walked over to the receptionist and paid, who looked at Anko funnily for a second, before waving us through. _'I guess if we'd have been going into the women's section, that guy would have taken a closer look at us.' _We entered the mens hotspring. Once we were in, Anko dispelled the technique, no need for it anymore.

I changed my voice a little and shouted, "Hey! You're not acting like the person Mr. Rogers knew you could be."

Jiraiya whirled around, and jumped at me, clamping his hand around my mouth and looking around wildly. "Shut up! What if I get caught?" He then looked at me more closely. "Shin?"

"Yeah," I muffled through his hand, voice back to normal. I pulled his hand away. "Here's the kid I was telling you about, and by told you about, I mean reminded you of." I said, pointing to Naruto.

Naruto didn't look impressed. "You didn't tell me he was just a pervert, nii-san."

"Hey I'm not just a pervert!" Jiraiya exclaimed. He pointed to himself and gave a shit eating grin, "I'm a Super Pervert!" He toned his smile back down to non shit eating levels. "Well, I'm just kidding. Anyway, like I told Shin, I'll train you. But first, can you walk on that water for me?"

"Sure." He said. Channeling chakra to his feet, Naruto walked onto the water, managed to stay afloat for a few seconds before falling in. He crawled out. "What the hell?!" He spluttered. "I can easily do that!"

"Take off your top Naruto." Jiraiya said.

Naruto instantly stopped, and looked at Jiraiya suspiciously. "Nii-san told me if some old man told me to do that, I should run away."

I started laughing, "Stranger danger Naruto!" I said, between laughs.

"Shut up!" Jiraiya shouted. "I'm gonna fix the problem with your chakra. After you lift your top, I want you to channel chakra."

Naruto lifted his top. and channeled some chakra. Once he did, the Kyuubi's seal appeared on his stomach. Jiraiya made a claw with his hand, and channeled chakra into each digit.

"Raise your hands Naruto." He said.

"Like this?" Naruto asked, raising his arms.

Jiraiya slammed his hand into Naruto's stomach, and Naruto crumpled.

"What the hell was that?!" Naruto shouted.

"Walk on the water again." Jiraiya said, ignoring his question.

Naruto huffed over to the water, and stepped on it. He was able to stand on there normally now. He started using his chakra to propel him, basically skating on the water before he was satisfied. He came off. "That's better. What did you do?" Naruto asked Jiraiya.

"I fixed a seal placed on your stomach." He said.

"So that's what the snake guy did." Naruto mused.

"Anyway, Shin. Are you going to tell me who this beautiful lady is?" Jiraiya asked. "And why she's in the mens section?"

"Yeah. Her name is Mitarashi Anko. I'm sure you know of her. Anyway, she's a very good friend of mine, and I took her to see you, as she wanted to meet one of Konoha's most powerful ninja." I said. Anko waved and said hello.

"Well well well," Jiraiya said, "I didn't know you knew any gorgeous women, Shin." He walked over to Anko. "How would you like to be my research?" He asked Anko.

I immediately launched a high kick to Jiraiya's head, which was easily dodged by him performing a back handspring.

"Well, what does this mean?" He asked, after getting back up.

"It means that I wouldn't be a very good friend if I let them fall into your sleazy clutches." _'Even if they are a fan already.'_

"It doesn't matter. There are many places I can get research, including this hot spring I am at right now." He said dismissing it. "Alright then, Naruto. How would you like to learn a special technique?"

"Hell yeah I would!" Naruto shouted.

"First, you understand you have two types of chakra, right?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah, one time, I let out a different type of chakra, way stronger than my normal one. Nii-san told me what it was." Naruto answered.

"Well that'll make it easier then. It's late. Meet me back here tomorrow and we'll start training."

"Okay." Naruto said.

With that, Jiraiya left. "Naruto," I said, "You can go back home. If you see Haku, tell him to train as he always does. If I can be bothered, I'll help him."

"Really? If you can be bothered?" Naruto said, with a look on his face.

"Hey, at least I'm honest about it!" I said, raising my hands. "Anyway, you'll probably be training only with Jiraiya, so I probably won't see you around until the exams. Tell Haku not to freeze the house when I'm gone."

Naruto turned to leave. I called him, "Hey Naruto, I wanted to ask, how's the technique coming along, the one you got from the house?"

He turned around. "It's really hard. It's obvious the difference in skill level of me and my father." He said. "I've barely scratched the surface."

"Alright then, keep up the work. You'll get it eventually." I said, and he left.

"So then, Anko, let's go back to your place." I said, wrapping an arm around her.

"Yes, lets," She replied, giving me a love bite on the neck.

I shifted into the black snake again, and wrapped myself around her, and she made her way back to her home.

* * *

Outside Anko's Home

I shifted back. We were in the middle of some thick woodland in Konoha, and in front of a normal sized, by my standards, two story log house. "You know, in the two years I've known you, I've never been to your house." I said.

"That's because I never invited you over. Come in." She said, opening the door.

Inside, I instantly noticed the decor. There were weapons adorning the walls, poisons strewn on cabinets, and snake skin designed wallpaper.

"Nice place. I'd like to see what the bedroom looks like though." I said, pulling her close to me.

"Shin, we can't fool around all the time. I need to train if I'm gonna be any help against Orochimaru when he comes back." She replied.

"Well sex is very good exercise." I said to her. "How about this, after tomorrow, I'll train with you, drastically helping to increase your stamina and fighting ability." I compromised.

"As long as I still get my massages." She said.

"Of course. It'll help you recover from our sessions. Both ones for fun and for training." I replied, letting her lead me upstairs, dropping clothes on the way.

* * *

Four weeks later

"Come on! I'm not even trying!" I shouted at Anko, motivating her to try harder, as three of my clones simultaneously attacked her, continuously switching fighting styles on the fly. It was purely taijutsu, and they were holding back a lot.

She screamed, and started fighting again with renewed vigor. After a few more minutes of the intense sparring, I called it a day, and she crumpled to the ground, completely exhausted. We had been running, sparring, and training in all sorts of ways for the past three weeks, Only having one day's rest every week.

I walked over to Anko, and lay down next to her. "You're lasting a lot longer now than when we started this, you know?" I said.

She said nothing, just kept trying to catch her breath. I grabbed a towel, and cooled it a lot, and gave it to her to wipe off her sweat. I went inside to get some cold water for her, and froze some ice into the shape of a glass, filled it up, went outside, and handed it to her, wrapping the towel around it.

After she drained the water, she passed it back to me, and I simply chucked it away. A minute later, she was able to speak again, albeit in single words.

"Shin, I, really, wish, I, hadn't, asked, you, to, train, me," She said, still pretty breathless.

"You say that every time." I replied. I picked her up, and took her inside. "You need a shower. I'm going into the village soon. Do you want to come with me?"

"No thanks. I'm still, way too, tired." She said.

"I'll run you a bath instead then. You'll need a lot of rest. The exams are tomorrow." I said. Taking her upstairs and placing her on the bed, taking her clothes off for her. I walked into the bathroom, and ran a bath, turning both taps on fully. I walked back into the bedroom and made a clone to stay with her. **_'You should be thanking me' _**I thought to the clone. **_'You get to bathe with Anko, and do nothing else. I mean it. Nothing else. I don't want any hanky panky going on between you and her. If there is, I'll personally come back here, and kick the ever living shit out of you, got that?'_**

**_'Alright, alright. No need to get all bent out of shape. I'll just stay with her.'_**He thought back to me.

"Good." I said out loud. I left the house, and Anko to my clone. I started jogging to Konoha Hospital, where Naruto should be right now, and Gaara too.

At the speed I was going, it didn't take long to get there. I walked inside, and asked for the room of Rock Lee.

"It's room 307." The receptionist told me.

"Thank you." I said, and made my way up.

I was just outside the door, when I heard a commotion inside. I walked in, and saw Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara inside and sand flying around the room.

"That's enough of that, Gaara." I said. Gai, walked in behind me. "You'll get your chance to fight at the finals tomorrow." I told Gaara. "Or is it that you like the hospital so much, you want me to put you here for a very long time?" I threatened.

Gaara clutched his head, and started to leave. Before he left, he turned his head. "I will kill you. Just wait."

I walked over to Lee. He had woken up, after all the noise. "Hey Lee, are you going to watch the finals tomorrow?" I asked.

"I don't think I'm allowed out." He replied.

"So?" I asked. "Just leave. They said you can't train, not that you can't leave. Anyway, I'm sorry about what happened to you. I know it was your dream to become a great ninja."

"It still is!" He said defiantly. "I will get better, and I will still become a great ninja!"

"I know you will, I just wanted to see if you still did." I leaned in closer. "Listen," I whispered, "I'll let you in on a little secret. Not too long from now, a great medical shinobi will heal your wounds, and you will be able to resume active duty. Don't tell anyone though!" I said, winking at him.

"Yosh! I will definitely train ten times as hard when I recover to make up for lost time!" He vowed.

"Well don't push yourself too hard too quickly, rest is also an important part of training." I told him.

After I told him that, I talked to Naruto. "Naruto, are you ready for tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yeah! Jiraiya taught me a-" I clamped my hand over his mouth.

"It's not a good idea to tell everyone what your new abilities are, especially when there is an opponent in the room." I scolded him. I took my hand off his mouth. "Besides, I'll be watching from the Hokage's stand, with the best view in the house. Don't disappoint anyone with a shit performance." I said.

"Don't worry! I won't lose!" He said.

"I'd rather you lost in a good fashion, than won in a way unbefitting of a true ninja. After all, it's now if you win, it's how you win that decides on whether you become a chuunin or not." I told him, pulling his hood over his face. "Don't let someone take advantage of any weaknesses. Dress appropriately for the fight, and rest well."

With that, I left, going back to Anko's, making a short stop on the way.

* * *

Anko's Home

I walked inside, and made my way upstairs. I opened the bedroom door, and saw my clone giving Anko a full body massage. _'Well at least he wasn't screwing her. That's my job.' _I dispelled him, and after receiving the memories, continued where he left off. From what I could tell, she was very relaxed now, and would be fully rested by tomorrow, when the invasion would begin. "So, Anko, are you going to watch the exams?" I asked.

"Yeah," She said, slurring a little because of her relaxed state.

"It's a shame I won't be watching it with you though, I'll be with the Hokage as his personal guard." I said. "But," I added, "I have something for you."

She turned her head to me. "What is it?"

"I've finished the knives." I said, taking a box from behind me and handing it to her.

She opened it and gasped. "These two knives are even more beautiful in person!" She said, picking one up.

"Everything is like you wanted. Handles comprised of two black snakes entwined around a vial of deadly poison, able to be changed to whichever poison necessary. Watch your fingers though, it is incredibly sharp after all." I said, picking the other one up and demonstrating by softly sliding it on the wooden bedside, leaving a gouge in it. "I made two sheathes for them as well." Taking them out, they looked just like two large snake heads, with the mouths open, to hold the knives in.

"So, how do you like them?" I asked.

"They're awesome!" She replied, twirling one around in her hand.

"Well, practice with them for the rest of the day if you want. They shouldn't take too long to get used to." I told her.

She looked past me, next to the door. "Who's is that sword?" She asked me.

"That," I said, "Is mine. I got a, 'friend', to get me the materials to make it."

"What materials would you need to make a sword that you wouldn't already have?" She asked me.

"Ah, this is something I'm quite happy about. That sword, is comprised completely of adamantium."

"Ada-what?" She asked.

"Adamantium," I repeated, "It's a nigh indestructible metal. Let me show you, there is no other sword like it in the world, and not only because of the metal."

I walked over to the sheathed sword, the scabbard also extremely unique. Picking it up, I slowly unsheathed the sword. The blade was blood red.

"That is the most badass looking katana I've seen." She said.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet." I replied, sheathing the sword, held the sword horizontally with my left hand in front of me, and my right hand, about a foot away from the handle.

"What's that on the scabbard?" Anko asked.

"Watch." I said, before activating a mechanism on the scabbard. There was a fairly loud bang, not unlike a gunshot, and the sword flew incredibly fast out of the scabbard, with flames flickering at the mouth. I quickly caught the handle, before it flew through a window. "So, how'd you like that?"

She was speechless. After staring at me for a few more seconds, she managed to string a few words together. "What's that buzzing sound?" She asked.

"That is one of the unique things about this katana. High frequency vibrations." I replied.

"What does it do?" She asked.

"Throw me a kunai." I said, and she complied. I caught it with the same hand I had the sword in. Juggling around for a second, I placed the scabbard on the floor, and put the kunai in my left hand. "Watch." I said, and slowly brought the sword down on it. It cut through the kunai like a hot knife through butter. After half of the kunai dropped to the floor, I flicked a switch on the sword, and it stopped vibrating. I showed her the last amazing function of the sword. "You know of my shapeshifting ability right?" I said.

"Of course." She replied.

"Well, I am able to extend it slightly to the sword." I rested the sword, tip down on the floor, in a vertical position, and placed my palm on top of it. I slowly pushed my hand downwards, and surely, the sword started disappearing into my arm. Once I reached the floor, I pulled my arm back, and showed her. The sword was gone.

"Ooh!" She clapped her hands together, like a kid at a magic show.

"For my next trick, I will make it reappear!" I said, in a showman's voice. "But where? I'll show you!" I closed my eyes, placed my fingertips at my temples, and faked intense concentration, before the sword slid out of my forehead, and I grabbed it. "Ta da!" I said, and ran my finger along the curvature of the blade, before placing it into the scabbard and affixing it to my left side, opposite my pistol holster. "Enough horseplay!" I said, "The point is, that ability will allow me to always have my weapon on me, even if there are none allowed, like at a private party, in which I need to assassinate someone for a mission. You see what I mean?"

"Yeah, but you don't need a weapon to kill someone, do you?" She said.

"Well, no. But it's pretty cool, isn't it? It's called the High Frequency Muramasa Blade. Or just Muramasa." I replied.

"Yeah. Are my knives made of that, 'adamantium'?" She asked.

"Unfortunately, no. The guy who I got the stuff from, was stingy about it and only allowed me enough for my own sword. I still made those knives with the best metals I could find, though." I replied.

She sighed, "Well, it's better than nothing I guess."

I clapped her on the back. "Don't be so down! You haven't even tried out the new knives yet! Go out and give them a whirl, I'm gonna have a shower."

"Alright, I'll be back in later." She said, and left.

I went and ran a shower, and thought to myself, _'Tomorrow's gonna be a big day.'_

* * *

The Big Day

After holstering my pistol, and attaching the sword to my side, I said goodbye to Anko early in the morning, and made my way to the Hokage's office, to start preparations.

"Hokage-sama, It's good to see you again." I said.

"You too, Hiruma-san." He replied. "Now, we'll be arriving at the arena soon, so we will need to get moving."

"Of course." The Hokage and I started walking to the arena, him waving hello every so often to a passerby. _'I bet David Cameron never got such a good reception.' _

"So Hiruma, that's an interesting sword you have there." He said, making conversation to pass the time.

"Thank you, I made it myself, albeit with a little help from another. You might get to see it in action sometime, if Orochimaru actually returns for Sasuke." I replied.

"Yes," He chuckled, "But not too soon, eh?"

We soon arrived at the arena, and after signing a load of forms, we made our way up the the VIP balcony, reserved for the Kage's. The Hokage took his seat, and we looked around the arena. It was already fairly full, around 65% capacity at the moment. There was another half an hour before the genin arrived, and once everyone was there, the matches would start.

Around 30 minutes later, when all of the genin had arrived, aside from Sasuke, they all filed up in the middle of the arena, to almost deafening cheering.

"Have you found Sasuke yet?" The Hokage asked me.

"Yes, I sent off a clone to where he is training with Kakashi, and when I was about to leave, I heard Sasuke giving Kakashi an earful for trying to make him late. It was pretty funny."

"How long till he gets here." He asked me.

"About, now." I said, as Sasuke and Kakashi appeared on the arena. Once Kakashi left, the Kazekage arrived, _'If you could call him that.' _

"Well well, if it isn't Kazekage-dono!" The Hokage greeted him. The Kazekage took his seat, with his two bodyguards flanking him on either side. "You must be tired from your journey."

"Not at all," The Kazekage replied, "It's a good thing the exams are held here this time. The trip to another country could be too hard on your old bones. Maybe you should appoint a fifth?"

The Hokage chuckled, "Don't treat me like an old man. I still have some energy left. I intend to do this for a while yet." The Hokage stood up. "Well, let's begin."

As the Hokage stood, everyone quietened. He raised his voice, and shouted, "Thank you all for coming to the Konoha Chuunin Selection Exam! We will now start the main tournament matches, between the nine participants who made it through the preliminaries! Please stay and watch till the end!"

"If there's nine, one is missing." The Kazekage said.

"Yes, one of the participants, Dosu, is unable to take the exam." The Hokage replied.

"That is unfortunate." He replied. "What will the changes be to the matches now?"

"Well, there will be some small changes, but they will be easily sorted out."

* * *

Genma started explaining the rules to the genin, and I saw everyone except for Genma, Naruto and Neji leave the arena floor.

As we heard Genma start the fight, I watched as Naruto created four clones, and sent them to attack Neji, in close combat. It wouldn't work, but it'd help Naruto discern his fighting style. Naruto watched as Neji calmly dispatched the four clones, exchanged words, and then Naruto spawned at least 30 clones, and I watched as Naruto blended in with them, and attacked Neji, one or two at a time. Naruto was unable to land a clean hit on Neji, even with the taijutsu training I gave him, the byakugan and the fact that Hyuugas were almost completely taijutsu orientated, but he was definitely pushing him a lot harder. Neji was fighting more defensively now, still calmly taking them out, one at a time. Eventually, her went to attack the one Naruto who wasn't doing anything, assuming that he was the real one.

After the Naruto he attacked popped into smoke, half of the clones jumped into the air, the other half stayed on the ground, and they all launched kunai at him, a barrage of metal bearing down on Neji. Just before the kunai got to him, Neji started spinning, releasing chakra from his body, repelling all attacks. As the kunai were repelled, they took out most of the clones, leaving only a few unscathed. Naruto himself, deflected them with his own kunai.

Naruto dispelled his clones, and attacked Neji head on. Now that he was attacking, himself, he was able to push Neji even harder. Naruto was throwing a flurry of punched after kicks after elbow strikes, combinations coming at Neji one after the other, and Neji had his work cut out for him, just defending. After a few minutes of Neji defending, he suddenly struck out, tapping Naruto's legs, causing him to fall to his knees. Standing low, one hand in front and one behind, Neji attacked Naruto, hitting each and every one of Naruto's chakra points with deadly accuracy. His arms became a blur before he finished, Naruto falling to the ground.

After Naruto stood up, albeit very shakily, Neji did his little speech, poor little old me, and all that, _'For someone who harps on about destiny all the time, he sure is too stupid to realize he's already defied his, defeating a main house member.',_ and once he finished, Naruto opened his chakra points, forcefully. Naruto stood, and forced the Kyuubi's chakra through his system, decimating any blocks within his chakra system and attacked. Jumping into the air, he launched four shuriken at Neji, as Neji caught and threw them back, Naruto dropped to the ground, and sped at him, incredibly fast, using the meager force of just the Kyuubi's chakra through his system. They both pulled out kunai, and as Naruto sped up, Neji hastily tried to start his Kaiten, and as they connected, there was an explosion.

When the dust finally settled, there were two holes in the ground. Everybody watched with bated breath to find out who would get up first. Eventually, a figure emerged. Neji crawled out of the ground, getting up, battered and bruised. He stumbled over to the other hole, and looked down, seeing Naruto's motionless body lying there.

Neji started to say something, but the moment he did, a figure appeared silently behind him, and threw an elbow strike into the back of Neji's head, rendering him unconscious. The Naruto in the hole, poofed out of existence, a clone.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!" Genma shouted.

_'Heh, switching with a clone before rushing Neji? Smart. After all, a clone with Kyuubi chakra, is a strong substitute.'_

There was a thunderous applause. Naruto started grinning like a maniac, and ran around, thanking everyone for watching.

"Hokage-sama, could I take off for a second? I'll leave a clone. As you know, they are as strong as myself, and take just as much damage as I can, so you'll be no less safe. I want to go and have a chat to Naruto." I asked.

"Alright. Don't be too long though." He replied.

"Thank you." I said, and summoned a clone to stand guard. _'I never think things through. I hate standing around, doing nothing. If I was gonna do nothing, I'd rather lie down.'_

* * *

As Genma called Shino and Kankuro down, I made my way to the viewing area for the genin. I heard Kankuro forfeit, and they moved onto the next match. I made it to the viewing area just in time to watch Naruto shove Shikamaru over the edge. "Well that wasn't very nice Naruto." I said.

"Nii-san! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"Standing." I replied. "Which is odd, since I hate standing around." I sat down.

I heard Temari start attacking, while I talked. "It's getting pretty lively down there, I bet Shikamaru isn't too happy about that." I said.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"You know Shikamaru, he would rather lie around all day, than do anything." I said. _'The sentiment is mutual.' _"He'll forfeit once he wins."

"There's no way he'll beat Temari. He was about to forfeit when Naruto pushed him off." Kankuro said.

"Does that mean you're also weak?" I asked. "After all, you did forfeit, he's already doing better than you. Anyway, he's very clever, that kid. I'd bet money that he'll become a chuunin after this."

"It doesn't matter how smart he is, if Temari kills him." Kankuro persisted.

"Well, it doesn't matter to me. I can tell you one thing, Shikamaru is smarter than I am." I replied.

Naruto looked up at me. "He never said anything like that to me," Naruto said.

"Well, to put it in his words, it'd be too, 'troublesome'." I said. "Anyway Naruto, nice win, even though it was more through force than strategy, even if you did use some. I hate to say it, but I don't think you'll become a chuunin after this."

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, "Why?"

"Because being a chuunin requires more than just brute force. You need to show leadership, strategic thinking, planning ahead of the enemy, and, on some occasions, admitting when you have lost. Watch this match and see what I mean."

I took a look at the fight, it was nearing the end. Shikamaru was currently biding his time, waiting for the shadows to lengthen.

Suddenly, the fight started up again, Shikamaru reached for a kunai, as Temari let loose a blast of wind. He hid behind a tree, so I couldn't see what he was doing, but I already knew. Shikamaru launched a kunai at Temari, and as she batted it away, he used his own shadow to attempt to trap her. Unfortunately, Temari saw through his plan to wait for the shadows to drop, and jumped further backwards. Unfortunately for her, Shikamaru saw that she would see through it, and had a parachute of his shirt create another shadow, to increase the distance. Unfortunately for him, Temari managed to jump back again, and slammed her fan into the ground, marking the distance once more. Unfortunately for her, there was a sudden blinding flash in front of her, and once she was able to see again, Shikamaru had caught her in his technique.

"Clever guy."I remarked.

"How did he catch her?" Naruto asked.

"Well, he is a strategist, so he has tons of tricks up his sleeve, and he thinks a hundred moves ahead of you. Anyway, you know when his technique reached it's maximum distance, and he had a parachute ready in the air?" I asked.

"Yeah," Naruto replied.

"Well, he knew that if he still didn't manage to catch her with that, he needed another plan. What he did, was maneuver Temari into where the wind would be blowing, so his parachute would float over her. Once she placed her fan into the ground, to hide behind, she also partially obstructed her view of him, so she didn't see him pull on a wire attached to the parachute, releasing a flash bomb, a favourite of the Nara's. When it exploded in front of her, it caused a shadow to grow in front of the fan, and he used that to extend his reach to capture her." I told him.

"I forfeit." I heard Shikamaru say.

"Told you," I said to Naruto, "and you Kankuro." Kankuro just looked at me, then looked back.

Shikamaru was explaining how he would be unable to continue due to the loss of chakra, and that he had ran out of time.

"Winner, Temari!" Genma shouted, although everyone knew the real winner was Shikamaru.

"How's he gonna become a chuunin if he forfeits?" Kankuro asked me.

"Remember, it's not about winning, it's about proving you have what it takes to be a chuunin. He has proven all qualities necessary, albeit the one about not being lazy. Although Kakashi is a jonin, and he's always hours late for meetings." I lectured him.

I saw Lee and Gai enter the stadium, and take their seats. I walked over to them, and sat down next to Lee.

"Shin! I heard Naruto beat Neji!" Lee said, with much enthusiasm.

"Yes, that he did." I replied, and gave him a brief summary on the events. Rock Lee was pretty impressed.

"Neji was always arrogant. That arrogance cost him the fight." Gai said.

"Yes," I replied, "But I'm sure that the next time you see him, he'll be a different person."

I saw Lee shaking, looking sad.

I leaned in. "Remember what I said Lee. You will be healed, and when you recover, your taijutsu skills will dwarf everyone elses. Trust me."

He smiled.

I walked back to the genin viewing area to say good luck to Gaara, and when I got there, I had missed him, and there was blood all over the corridor. _'Well match fixing is against the law.'_

I shrugged my shoulders, and looked over to Naruto, who was stock still at having witnessed the butchery.

"Naruto, focus on the fight. Gaara was in the zone, and they made the mistake of standing in his way." I said.

I stayed next to Naruto, and created another clone to stay with the Hokage, and sent him off. Hopefully, he wouldn't notice the difference.

* * *

Genma started the fight. Gaara let out his sand, and Sasuke immediately retreated, knowing the danger it posed. Gaara grabbed his head, and started muttering to himself. He stiffened, then relaxed and told Sasuke to attack. Sasuke complied, and launched a few shuriken at him, testing the reaction time and speed of the sand. The sand stopped the shuriken, and took the form of Gaara, a clone and clutched the weapons in it's hand. It's stomach burst with sand, attacking Sasuke directly, and as soon as it got close, Sasuke jumped into the air. As he did, the sand clone returned the shuriken to it's rightful owner. Sasuke deflected them with another pair of shuriken, launched a kick mid air to the clone, destroying it's arms, and as he landed on his hands, flipped to his feet, and threw a backhand into the clones throat.

The sand formed around his arm, but before it could crush him, Sasuke punched the clone in the head, destroying it, and went to attack Gaara directly, throwing another punch at his head. As the sand automatically defended Gaara, Sasuke disappeared from view, reappearing behind Gaara with Lee's speed, and punched him squarely in the face, knocking him over. Gaara's sand cushioned the fall, but when he got up, he was pissed.

Sasuke immediately attacked again, dodging the sand and kicking him, launching his in the air once more, with the sand cushioning the blow again.

Sasuke didn't let up, he dashed in, ran circles around him, and kicked him, grabbed his clothes before he flew away again, and pulled him in for a knee strike to the chest. After he moved back, Sasuke took a moment to grab his breath. When he did, Gaara made a handseal, and the sand formed a sphere around him.

Sasuke attacked before the sphere was completely formed, and attempted to land a punch on Gaara, but alas, he only met sand, sand that retaliated with sharp spears which cut him up slightly, and his fist bled from the hardness of the defense.

Sasuke jumped back to think about how to attack, and the sand retracted, back into a perfect sphere. He activated his sharingan. After all, if he hadn't dodged in time, one of those sand spears could have pierced his skull.

Sand started forming into the shape of an eye above the sphere, and Sasuke went back on the offense. He attacked all around the sphere, throwing weapons, launching punches and kicks, all while dodging the attacks of the defensive technique. Eventually he stopped, and rethought his plan of attack. After a few seconds, he turned around, ran and jumped up the stadium wall, sticking to it with chakra. Once he was high up, he stopped, and started focusing chakra into his left hand.

Slowly, a sound, reminiscent of many chirping birds was heard, and as we looked closer to Sasuke, light was flickering. Suddenly, it burst into a flare, lightning cackled around his hand, and he ran down the wall, full speed. Sasuke neared the sphere, started to aim his arm forward, and as he reached it, he thrust his hand, directly through the defense, and it went through like it was just sopping wet mud.

_'Well, that's that then. I'd better make it back to the Hokage before the invasion starts.' _I started walking back to the Hokage, and as I walked past the crowds, I heard a voice.

"Winner, Gaara!"

"What?!" I screamed, and looked down, gripping the rail, and saw Sasuke, covered in sand.

This was not the plan.

* * *

**_Author's note: Well well well. Gaara defeated Sasuke? The question is, how? I know, of course, but you don't, otherwise it wouldn't be a very good cliffhanger. I'm sure some of you might know the repercussions of Gaara defeating Sasuke, instead of the other way round._**

**_Also, I have hit a little wall in my writing. It'd be remiss of me not to say that I write a chapter ahead usually, and I have neared the time-skip. Now, while I have an idea of what I would do for that, I haven't planned anything for after it, so I have no plot. It's pretty much my own fault since this whole story has been written on the fly. If you want to give ideas, I'm open to suggestion, since as a story, it is as much for you as it is for me.  
_**


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